Avive Clinic Brisbane - Windsor, Queensland

Temyra M.

I have been admitted to other mental health clinics before but Avive was different in the best way.
The nurses were so kind and helpful.
The kitchen staff were concerned and understanding about my dietary issues.
The doctors were very informative and knowledgeable and honestly wanting to help me and they did.
The groups taught me tools that I use daily to improve my mental health and help me start to smile.
I had heard a lot of their teachings in previous clinics but Avive staff taught me in a way I could understand and put into practice.
If I ever have to return to a clinic, it will definitely be at Avive Clinic Brisbane

Amy B.

Really grateful for this clinic and the support they’ve given me during a really hard period. The staff have been so caring and professional, they’ve made my time here so much easier and have done whatever they can to make me feel comfortable and given me hope that I will get better.
The facility is new, with super comfy private rooms. The change in myself due to the support given to me is huge. Both myself and my loved ones are so grateful.

Taylah S.

Would 100000% not reccomend.

Awful communication despite SOME of the staff being well trained and qualified. Record everything you do there yourself because they don't write anything down and will forget.

As an in patient I was given the wrong medication twice and appointments with psychiatrists were 50 percent at the incorrect time they are booked, and even then what you tell the doctor is recorded and enacted 10 percent of the time on average. This is few of the many struggles I had as an in patient there.

Only good thing was the food.

Ellie E.

Cannot speak highly enough of Avive and their amazing staff! I have spent years seeking the right treatment and help and finally feel like I have found it. Thank you all for giving me another shot at life. Dr. Vikus, the nurse team leader, Kate and all of the nursing staff are amazing individuals I cannot appreciate more. Thank you again.

Ebony W.

MIXED REVIEWS -

Im a Mental Health Nurse myself and attended this Hospital with high hopes. Being a new facility there is still a lot of work to be done. One thing I will say is if you are a patient with a significant TRAUMA background this hospital is probably not for you. They don’t have any inpatient trauma programs nor do they offer psychologists, most staff aren’t trained in Trauma and after witnessing and overhearing some of the techniques staff use for dissociation etc i wouldn’t recommend.

My psychiatrist is amazing, Dr Tanham and I couldn’t thank her enough she has a world of knowledge and is the main reason I stayed at the hospital. Also a mention to a few of the nursing staff that really made my stay better Daniel, Carly, Kat from groups, Tori & Eva. And the maintenance & kitchen staff who are so lovely.

In terms of the hospital it’s self & Management/Staff I decided best to write a pro’s and con’s.
Pros-
-comfortable rooms, not typical hospital Beds
- food was good, but a few more basic options would be good
- rooftop to get fresh air & gym with exercise psychologists.

Cons-
- No psychologists for 1:1’s as you don’t get long with your psychiatrist maybe 15-30 mins twice a week some better than others
- Inconsistent/ Selective enforcement of Pt agreement
- Minimal groups and most are basic nothing for patients whom have attended groups/out pts groups before.
- Communication between staff and psychiatrists lacking
- Questionable duty of care in some circumstances

Overall, I think the hospital has a long way to go, but I would stay again as I’m very impressed with my Psychiatrist.

Joyce M.

Thankyou Avive Brisbane. From being welcomed at admission through to the beautiful kind, caring, compassionate nurses & allied health & my psychiatrist, Dr Jo. Thankyou to Kate (Nursing Unit Manager) for arranging a room change at short notice due. Avive environment is peaceful, calm. I felt safe to be honest with nurses & Dr Jo & I felt safe being in Avive Hospital. I only had one nurse that wouldn’t help me when I really needed the help. I don’t ask for help unless I really need it. The cleaning staff & kitchen staff are also amazing & accommodating. Meals are nutritional & beautiful. But, please can you get some ice cream. The group therapy for Mood & Anxiety was so helpful of information & skills to put into practice. Diversional group is very calming & Some special mentions to the following nurses: Mandy, Diedrie, Opal, Kelly, Liz,
Special mentions to Allied Staff: Alexa, Trudy, Jas.
Yes, not everything is perfect there but processes & humans make mistakes & can be learnt from & improved. I just encourage patients to address things assertively, calmly & in a timely manner & escalate up to Kate (Nursing Unit Manager), if need be.
I had frustrations with medications being written up correctly & getting other issues from GP to Hospital that was negative on my mental health.
I would like to also see the issue of being allowed to drive & overnight leave when on long admissions to be much smoother than the rigmarole I had to go through. I can’t do public transport taxis & Uber are too expensive when on the Disability Pension. Driving is part of the independence that is encouraged.
Thankyou so much giving me a safe, kind, care place to get well.

Cathy M.

Now reflecting on my experience of Avive, some seven months on, I can see that the lovely nurse who sat beside me and did my admission was totally inexperienced in mental health. Desperately trying to help me with social reasons for my mental illness and its impact on me - "Oh, you're just...", " You just need to..." is totally invalidating and the sign a staff member is not trained in mental health. I think they're scrounging around for staff and many have come across from general medical and surgical.

Original review - I can only feed back for the ten hours I was there - from my admission at 10.30am today to my self-initiated discharge at 8.30pm tonight, so please accept that there are some limitations to my review due to the brevity of my stay.

The location is awful. This clinic is directly on Lutwyche Rd (corner of Bryden Rd) which is an incredibly busy six lane major arterial. The roar of the traffic, the squeal of the ambulance sirens is not conducive to healing. It is a converted hotel but I'm sure they've chopped the rooms into two. My room was tiny, smelly and had a vent unrelated to the air conditioner that constantly blew cold air into the room. The mattress seemed smaller than a standard single and rock hard. My view was of a sliding glass door onto a small veranda permanently bolted shut so I could not get fresh air to ventilate the room. This looked onto a brick wall. That was my view. There was no TV. The shower was one of those ones that have a shower head set in the ceiling and no shower curtain so the water spews everywhere though fortunately I didn't ever get to use it. They boast about their ambient lighting - all I got were incredibly bright lights in the ceiling (all blazing at once) and no option of a lamp or less severe lighting.

The worst thing was the total lack of care and information. After my nursing admission was done by admittedly a very nice nurse, I was given no written information or otherwise about meal times or groups, rules or regulations even. A promised tour never happened. I made my way to the dining room at lunchtime after bumping into a random nurse who pointed me towards it. My room was far, far away from the nurses station through a maze of narrow corridors and no nurse ever checked on me, popped their head through the door or asked me how I was for the whole day.

The food was awful, though I'm only going on two meals. They don't provide bread rolls at meals (though a lovely kitchen lady gave me two slices of bread and some rock hard butter at dinner when I begged).

I realized I was dreading unpacking, so just decided to leave. One of the positives is that they do provide undercover parking for patients separate to staff and I'd brought my car in. It was a simple procedure to check out, a nurse helped me down with my stuff. I've never felt so happy to get away from somewhere! If I'd stayed any longer my mental health would have veered into critical mode.

I did have a session with the psychiatrist who was a bit of an awkward character, but I could have weathered that if I'd been happy with the rest of the facility. I'm now seeking admission at a well-established hospital I've been to before. I don't usually ask for helpful votes, but I feel like I've been through the wringer to get this review to you. If you feel you know slightly more about the new Avive clinic than if I'd never written this and are seeking information for yourself or a loved one, please leave a helpful vote. Thanks.

Tash A.

I spent 3 weeks at Avive Clinic in Windsor and continue to do a 12 week outpatient program and i could not be happier with the level of care and knowledge from the team at Avive. The staff were extremely welcoming and continued to check on me throughout my time there. The Dual Diagnosis group has had a major impact on my life, i have learnt things about myself i never knew and different strategies for coping. Vanessa is amazing and has a lot of knowledge and experience, I definitely would not have gotten this far without her guidance. I am very grateful and will definitely be recommended Avive to family and friends. Thankyou guys 🙏🏾