Victoria must finish, not restart mental health reform: Psychiatrists welcome Coalition’s focus on accountability

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Victorian Branch has welcomed the Coalition’s commitment to mental health reform, saying its focus on accountability, workforce and access reflects many of the concerns psychiatrists are seeing across Victoria.

The Coalition has committed to the following:

• Independently reviewing implementation of the Royal Commission recommendations
• Auditing mental health reform expenditure and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy
• Delivering a new Mental Health Workforce Strategy within 100 days, backed by a $50 million Targeted Mental Health Workforce Fund
• Reviewing the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission to strengthen its independence, powers and system-wide oversight
• Publishing a Mental Health Reform Blueprint with clear priorities, responsibilities, timeframes, funding and measurable outcomes
• Reforming the governance of the Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (PYMHWS) and integrate its management with Orygen

Victorian Branch Chair Dr Simon Stafrace said the announcement recognised that, five years after the Royal Commission, significant gaps remain between the ambition of Victoria’s reforms and the care people experience on the ground.

“We welcome the commitment to examine the implementation of the Royal Commission recommendations, provide greater transparency around the Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy, strengthen independent oversight and develop a long-term workforce strategy,” Dr Stafrace said.

“These are important issues. Victoria has invested substantially in mental health reform. The challenge now is ensuring that investment translates into timely, connected, and effective care wherever Victorians live.”

The RANZCP particularly welcomes the proposed strengthening of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission.

“Independent oversight matters. Victoria needs a Commission with the independence, authority and resources to tell government, the sector and the community whether reform is actually improving access, quality and outcomes.”

Psychiatrists have also welcomed the Coalition’s focus on youth mental health and recognises the urgent need to increase specialist capacity for children and young people.

“Additional youth mental health capacity is clearly needed. But new beds and centres of excellence must form part of a connected statewide system - from prevention and early intervention through community and crisis care to specialist inpatient treatment and recovery, distributed across the state.

“A young person should not have to become progressively more unwell, navigate multiple services or reach an emergency department before receiving the care they need.”

Dr Stafrace said the proposed $50 million workforce fund was also welcome, but Victoria required more than a short-term response to workforce shortages.

“We need a long-term workforce strategy that builds and retains the entire mental health workforce, strengthens training and supervision, and ensures specialist expertise is available where it is needed across Victoria.”

The RANZCP cautioned, however, against responding to the current problems by embarking on another wholesale redesign of the mental health system.

“The Royal Commission gave Victoria a once-in-a-generation reform agenda. We should learn from what has worked, identify what has not, and address the gaps, not start again.”

In its election platform, the RANZCP is calling on all parties contesting the November election to commit to finishing Victoria’s mental health reforms, with particular attention to:

• timely access to community, crisis, and inpatient care, supported by statewide standards and sufficient capacity
• integrated care across specialist mental health, primary care, alcohol and other drug services and Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals
• completing the missing recovery pathway, including rehabilitation and supported housing.
• a sustainable, long-term mental health workforce strategy
• transparent use of Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy funding; and
• strong, independent oversight and public reporting of whether reform is improving access, continuity, quality, and outcomes

“Victoria does not need another cycle of announcements followed by fragmented implementation,” Dr Stafrace said.

“We welcome the Coalition putting these issues on the election agenda. We will be looking for similarly substantive commitments from all parties.

“The next government needs to make the mental health system work as a system, with clear accountability, sustainable workforce and funding, connected pathways of care, and transparent measurement of whether Victorians are receiving better care.

“The task for Victoria’s next government is not to start mental health reform again. It is to finish what Victoria started.”

ENQUIRIES: For more information, or to arrange an interview, call on +61 437 315 911 or email media@ranzcp.org.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is a membership organisation that prepares medical specialists in the field of psychiatry, supports and enhances clinical practice, advocates for people affected by mental illness and advises governments and other groups on mental health care. For information about our work, our members or our history, visit www.ranzcp.org.

In Australia: If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au or the Suicide Callback Service on 1300 659 467 or www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au.

In New Zealand: If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline NZ on 0800 543 354 or www.lifeline.org.nz or the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865 or www.lifeline.org.nz/suicide-prevention.