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Home > Ministers > The Hon Nicola Roxon MP - Minister for Health and Ageing > Media Hub > Improving the Nation’s Mental Health System

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PDF printable version of Improving the Nation’s Mental Health System (PDF 25 KB)

20 April 2010

Australians with mental health needs, especially young people, will receive improved care through a $174 million investment in mental health services.

As part of the establishment of the National Health and Hospitals Network, the Government intends to take a greater policy and funding role for mental health services over time, providing a foundation for better coordinated care for people with mental health disorders into the future.

Currently:

• young people are much more likely to suffer from mental illness – 25 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds experience a problem in any year;
• young people are the age group most in need of help, but are the least likely to seek it. And when they do, there are so many gaps in the system they often fall through the cracks.

In partnership with the States, the Commonwealth will invest more in youth-friendly mental health services, build a better foundation for mental health care through the primary care system, and provide more sub-acute beds for mental health care.

Building the foundations of better mental health care

As part of the establishment of the National Health and Hospitals Network, the Australian Government will take full funding and policy responsibility for primary care services currently funded by State governments.
This will include full funding and policy responsibility for primary mental health care for common disorders such as anxiety and depression including those currently provided by the States.

Over time, the Australian Government will also seek to take on greater responsibility for specialist community mental health services for people with severe mental illness.

As part of these changes:

• the Government will provide $57 million over four years for more flexible individual care packages, supporting clinical and non-clinical care, for up to 25,000 people with severe mental illness living in the community;
• the Government will also invest new funding of $13 million for more mental health nurses to provide services in the community and support clinical care for people with severe mental illness;
• $617.5 million currently being provided for successful community-based services for people with severe mental illness and their families such as Personal Helpers and Mentors services, Support for Day to Day Living, and Mental Health Respite and Community Based projects, will be linked and coordinated with the primary health care organisations being established as part of the National Health and Hospitals Network.

By moving towards a system where one level of government has responsibility for care across the system, these changes will help provide a foundation for better coordinated care – to reduce the ‘revolving door’ of repeated crisis between hospital and community based care which patients with mental health disorders often experience.

Youth-friendly mental health services

The Government will invest new funding totalling $78 million over four years in up to 30 new youth-friendly mental health centres, extra funding for the existing 30 headspace sites, and improvements to telephone and web­based services for young people.

This investment will support an additional 20,000 young people a year once the new sites are up and running.

A total of $25 million over four years will expand the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) model– a holistic service aimed at addressing the clinical and social support needs of people aged 15-24 with emerging psychotic disorders currently operating only in Victoria.

The Commonwealth will partner with interested states and territories to expand the model to new locations.

With state and territory contributions, this will benefit up to 3500 young people through improved detection, earlier treatment and support for early psychosis.

More subacute care for the mentally ill

Too many mental health patients end up in hospital because they can’t access appropriate care, including in sub-acute facilities.

The Government’s new $1.6 billion investment over four years in sub-acute beds will include support for more people with severe, episodic mental illness to access the care that they need.

More to be done

The Government has always acknowledged the need for mental health reform. These measures signal the beginning of a new national leadership role for the Australian Government in delivering much-needed service improvements for people with mental illness and their carers in this country.

They should be seen as the start of a much greater involvement in the delivery of mental health care and support by the Australian Government.

However, further changes to roles and responsibilities will be carefully considered to ensure they result in better outcomes for consumers and do not fragment services.

The Government will work further with states and territories, mental health consumers, carers, experts and leading advocates in the mental health sector, on the implementation of these reforms.

The Government will continue to review how existing government expenditure might be better targeted to improve community based mental health care.

Governments will report back to COAG in 2011 on:

• the potential for further reforms to governments’ roles and responsibilities for mental health;
• better integrating local services for people with severe mental illness, including with Local Hospital Networks and primary health care organisations.

The Australian Government will continue discussions with the Western Australian Government over the coming weeks and months.

For all media inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7220.