Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee

Overview

The Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee (MHISS) is a subcommittee of the Mental Health Standing Committee (MHSC), providing expert technical advice and recommendations for subsequent decision on initiatives to address the information requirements of the National Mental Health Strategy.

MHISS reports to the Health Policy Priorities Principal Committee (HPPPC) of the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) through the MHSC.

The primary focus of the committee is to provide expert technical advice and, where required, recommend policy for consideration by the Mental Health Standing Committee rather than define policy which remains the province of the Standing Committee.

Its success is dependant on its ability to access jurisdictional representatives with responsibility for mental health information management and data collection systems, combined with members with technical expertise in mental health data collection and reporting, and key stakeholder input.

Membership

Chair (a Director of Mental Health appointed by the MHSC)
Representatives from each jurisdiction’s mental health section/branch
A representative from the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA)
A representative from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA)
A representative from the private sector, currently nominated through the Private Mental Health alliance (PMHA)
A representative from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
A representative from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
A representative from the Review of Government Services (RoGS)
A representative from the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA)
A mental health consumer representative and mental health carer representative
A representative from Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA) to represent the non-government organisation (NGO) sector

Observers:

A representative from the New Zealand Ministry of Health
A representative from the Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network (AMHOCN)
A representative from the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC)
Consultants to the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

History

The Information Strategy Committee was established in 1991 by the Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Council National Mental Health Working Group, now the Mental Health Standing Committee, to provide a national collaborative approach in developing and implementing initiatives related to mental health information, and to provide expert technical advice and recommendations for subsequent decision on initiatives to address the information requirements of the National Mental Health Strategy.

A review of AHMAC committees in 2005-06 resulted in the renaming of the group as the Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee (MHISS).

Terms of Reference

Provide advice and recommendations for the development and implementation of mental health information development priorities under the current Fourth National Mental Health Plan.
Provide the MHSC with regular progress reports on the implementation of mental health information development priorities under the current Fourth National Mental Health Plan.
Provide advice and recommendations to the MHSC on the structure and content of the annual monitoring and reporting of the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health, and on progress against agreed outcomes of the implementation of the Plan.
Provide advice and policy recommendations to the MHSC on the structure and content of the annual monitoring and reporting of the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health, and on progress against agreed outcomes of the implementation of the Plan.
Provide advice and policy recommendations to the MHSC on the preparation of a national report on developments and progress under the National Mental Health Strategy.
Provide expert technical advice to the Australian Government on the preparation of an annual national report on developments and progress under the National Mental Health Strategy.
Provide expert technical advice on mental health data and information aspects to relevant health data and information groups as directed by the MHSC.
Provide expert technical advice to the AIHW on the development of the AIHW national mental health information program.
Maintain a watching brief and provide technical/expert advice on relevant information initiatives and identify opportunities for collaboration by the MHSC, for example with the Steering Committee on the Review of Government Services and Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Lead the development of key performance indicators for public mental health services in Australia.
Establish a functional collaborative relationship with the AHMAC Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) and the Safety and Quality Partnership Subcommittee (SQPS) to ensure mental health information development and safety and quality information development are informed by each other.
Establish and maintain linkages between mental health information and national health information processes through the MHSC, the National e-health Information Principal Committee (NeIPC) and relevant subcommittees e.g. National Health Information Standards and Statistics Committee (NHISSC).
Establish and maintain linkages between mental health information and national health information processes through the MHSC, the Private Mental Health Alliance (PMHA) and Prisoner Health Information Group (PHIG).

Meeting frequency

MHISS meets three times a year.

The dates and venues of meetings for 2013:
21-22 March 2013 - Adelaide
6-7 June 2013 - Perth
17-18 October 2013 - Canberra

Secretariat

MHISS Secretariat
Quality Improvement, Data & Reporting Section
Mental Health System Improvement Branch
Department of Health and Ageing
MDP 601
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2601

Ph: (02) 6289 4676
Email: MHISS Secretariat at MHISSsecretariat@health.gov.au