1996-1997
2.4: Mental Health
The 1996-97 Portfolio Budget Statements, informs Senators and Members of Parliament of the proposed allocation of resources to portfolios outcomes and their objectives and targets including the agencies within the Health and Family Services portfolio.
Objective
- Improve mental health outcomes in Australia and reduce the rate of suicide by Australian youth through national programmes and working cooperatively with States and Territories.
Goals
- Develop comprehensive and effective approach to mental health services, focussing on patients and people at risk, with stronger intersectoral linkages and consumer, carer and community input.
- Infrastructure (for example model legislation, classification systems, funding models, data collections, national service standards, best practice guidelines, outcome measures and other performance indicators) developed to underpin sustained reform in mental health services.
- To develop best practice approaches for the identification and support of young people at risk of suicide.
- Enhanced service provision, education and training and research in youth suicide prevention.
- Effective approaches to achieving good mental health outcomes identified and adopted in conjunction with stakeholders.
Strategies
- Further implementation of the National Mental Health Strategy, linking Commonwealth funding to States and Territories for mental health reform to the achievement of targets for agreed performance indicators .
- Implement national projects designed to sustain mental health reform in the priority areas of workforce, demonstration projects, research, monitoring and dissemination, guideline development, community education and advocacy and promotion and prevention.
- Monitor, evaluate and disseminate information about mental health and youth suicide prevention to assess relevant initiatives and to promote adoption of effective approaches to achieving good outcomes in mental health and youth suicide prevention.
- Fund national demonstration projects designed to identify best practice approaches to youth suicide prevention.
- Fund youth counselling services in remote and rural areas and other activities which assist youth and their families through improving the quality of and access to services and information relating to youth suicide.
Performance Indicators and Targets
Effectiveness
- For national projects:
- for those which have recommendations, the proportion where the recommendations are substantially adopted and implemented by relevant parties;
- for those which involve measures of effectiveness, the proportion which are demonstrated to be effective.
- The proportion of youth suicide prevention national demonstration projects which are meeting the timelines and other performance indicators included in their contracts.
Target: 90 percent. - Progress made in developing nationally consistent approaches to measuring and reporting widely on quality, outputs and outcomes in mental health services and youth suicide prevention.
Targets:- Annual report on mental health published within 12 months of the end of the financial year to which the data relates.
- Reports on all completed major national projects and youth suicide prevention initiatives disseminated within 6 months of completion of projects.
- National Service Standards developed and implementation strategy determined in 1996-97.
- Costing and classification project completed and next steps determined in 1996-97.
- Outcome measures piloted in public and private sector mental health services.
Efficiency
- Proportion of national projects completing in the year that do so on time and within budget.
Target: 90 percent. - The ratio of running cost expenditure to programme expenditure for National Mental Health Strategy and youth suicide programmes.
Target: Running cost three percent of total programme expenditure. - The degree to which funds on the new National Youth Suicide Strategy have been expended on initiatives consistent with the Government's policy.
Target: 1996-97 programme funds fully expended or committed. - Targets agreed against performance indicators which have been set bilaterally with States and Territories related to Schedule F1 of the Medicare agreement.
Target: Targets for 1996-97 agreed with all States and Territories by 1 January 1997.
Quality
- Number of agreed targets actually achieved by States and Territories as a percentage of total number of targets set for quality indicators.
Target: 100 percent for 1996-7 or reasonable explanation provided by States and Territories for inability to perform. - Information from stakeholders that the Commonwealth inputs, including projects and programmes funded by the Commonwealth, have been of a high standard, timely, relevant and contributed to effective results.
Equity
- Number of agreed targets achieved by States and Territories as a percentage of total number of targets set in each of the areas of access; special needs groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and consumer participation and satisfaction in planning processes.
Target: 100 percent in each case for 1996-97 or reasonable explanation provided by States and Territories for inability to perform.
Budget Measuers
Election Commitment
Establishment of the National Youth Suicide Strategy
Financial Implications
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
3.2 | 8.7 | 6.7 | - |
Purpose of Measure
To reduce youth suicide rates in Australia.Expected Implementation Strategies for Measure
These funds will be used for:- the provision of additional rural and regional youth counselling services;
- enhanced over the phone support programmes;
- the provision of programmes for parents;
- training relevant professions in youth suicide prevention;
- research into childhood mental health with a particular focus on identifying and addressing long term causal factors which lead to adolescent suicide and attempted suicide; and
- the development of a media code of conduct for the reporting of youth suicide.
Intended Impacts of Measure
More timely and appropriate interventions with distressed youth, parents enabled to undertake their roles more effectively, a more effective and accessible workforce, and reduced rates of suicide and deliberate self harm.Savings
Reduction in Funding of Case Mix Development, National Mental Health Strategy and Health Workforce Development Programmes
Financial Implications
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
-6.6 | -6.7 | - | - |
Purpose of Measure
To contribute to portfolio/programme savings in the light of underspending in the national programme.Expected Implementation Strategies for Measure
Priorities for national projects will be reviewed and proposed projects with less certain longer-term benefits will not proceed.Top of page
Intended Impacts of Measure
Savings with no impact on service delivery or access. Grants to the States for support of mental health services are not affected by this measure.Application of an Efficiency Dividend to Commonwealth Own Purpose Outlays and Specific Purpose Payments of a Running Costs Nature
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
-0.3 | -0.4 | -0.2 | - |
Across the Board Reduction of 2% in Running Costs
1996-97 $m | 1997-98 $m | 1998-99 $m | 1999-00 $m |
-0.04 | -0.04 | -0.05 | -0.05 |
