Mental Health

The mental health reform package, which is the Government’s commitment to the Council of Australian Governments National Action Plan on Mental Health (2006–2011), is improving services for people with a mental illness, their families and carers. It includes a range of new Medicare Benefits Schedule items in November 2006 that allow the community to access team-based mental health care from general practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists and other allied mental health professionals through Medicare. The success of this measure can be judged by the very significant uptake of these items. The Medicare Benefits Schedule data used by the Department of Health and Ageing to monitor uptake and spread of Medicare Benefits Schedule funded services indicates that during the 2006–07 financial year (from 1 November 2006 to 30 June 2007) more than 400,000 patients have accessed services provided under the Better Access Initiative, with more than 1.2 million new mental health services subsidised through Medicare.

The package complements and strengthens a variety of existing programs and initiatives that the Government has been progressing through the National Mental Health Strategy. This includes services provided by the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Program, beyondblue, Lifeline Australia, headspace: National Youth Mental Health Foundation, and funding provided under the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.