HAMILTON will open a new mental health and wellbeing service, enabling locals to get local mental health support they desperately need.
It will be one of 21 brand-new, Local Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing models of care, as part of the State Government’s reforms of the state’s mental health and wellbeing services, following the release of the Royal Commission’s 2021 report.
One year after the historic delivery of the final report from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, work is underway on more than 85 per cent of the 74 recommendations.
The report outlined a 10-year blueprint to build a system where every Victorian gets the timely, tailored support, backed by the government’s $3.8 billion investment in the Victorian Budget 2021/22 – the largest single investment in mental health in Australia’s history.
Already, almost 1000 extra jobs in the mental health workforce have been delivered. It has expanded the Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement Service and established the Mental Health Levy so Victoria’s biggest, most profitable businesses can play their part in building the state’s new wellbeing system.
The local services will act as a ‘front door’ to the reformed mental health system, providing early intervention support for adults experiencing mental illness or psychological distress without needing a referral from a GP, and before people need clinical hospital emergency department.
Set to open from mid-2023, the 21 local centres will service key priority areas for support across metropolitan, outer-suburban and regional centres.
By the end of 2026, up to 60 local services will open across the state – connecting Victorians to the care they need in their own communities.
“We aren’t wasting a moment getting on and building the mental health system Victorians need and deserve – and one year in, we’ve already made progress on delivering services that will change our state forever,” Western Victoria MP, Jaala Pulford said.
Conversely, Mental Health shadow minister, Emma Kealy said the Royal Commission confirmed serious flaws in Victoria’s mental health system.
She said that after two years of pandemic uncertainty and isolation, combined with the weight of demand, problems with Victoria’s already overburdened and fatigued mental health workforce, have worsened.
Further, Ms Kealy said that an opportunity to rebuild Victoria’s broken mental health system will be missed if the government refuses to support crucial reforms that will unlock thousands of extra workers for the exhausted and under-resourced workforce.
The government made the announcement regarding reforms last week, however, Ms Kealy stated it’s 12 months since the Royal Commission into Mental Health delivered its final report.
“Labor has been in government for 19 of the past 23 years. In that time, it’s wilfully ignored dozens of reports that screamed for change to remake Victoria’s broken mental health system,” Ms Kealy said.
“The Royal Commission delivered damning interim recommendations back in 2019 that called out severe deficiencies in the mental health workforce that needed immediate attention.
“But three years and six COVID lockdowns later, the problems are worse - but instead of supporting ideas and legislative reform that will immediately unlock more mental health workers to support Victorians, the Labor Government is actively stonewalling them.”
Five of the nine recommendations in the Royal Commission’s interim report highlighted the crucial and immediate need to develop and grow Victoria’s mental health workforce.
But Ms Kealy said that the government failed to plan for the future needs, leaving workers under-resourced and under-prepared to deal with skyrocketing demand during the pandemic. Last year, the opposition moved legislative amendments to unlock an additional 2000 tertiary qualified counsellors to work as mental health practitioners (MHP) in Victorian public schools, but the government voted against it.
Ms Kealy has also proposed other changes to funding criteria that will immediately unlock a further 2000 psychologists-in-training for the mental health workforce because they were also blocked by the government.
“Our public schools are ideally placed to help support better mental wellbeing of Victorian students struggling after the isolation of lockdown, but there’s not enough workers to deliver it,” she said.
“In many areas of Victoria, particularly regional areas, counsellors are the only mental health support available – but without these crucial reforms, schools can’t employ them as MHP.
“Victorians need mental health support right now as we recover and rebuild – it will be too late for many to wait years to get the mental health support they need today.”
