KIM GOLDSMITH, HOST: Have you tried to find mental health care without a referral or a long wait? Good news, a new mental health centre is opening in Dubbo along with a new regional outreach program through headspace for young First Nations people in our region. The Dubbo Medicare Mental Health Centre is opening today, and joining me to tell us more about the new service and the outreach program is federal Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Rural and Regional Health, Emma McBride. Good morning.
ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Good to be with you, Kim.
GOLDSMITH: That's a very long title you've got there. Now, welcome to Dubbo. You're here to officially open the Medicare Mental Health Centre that's going to take walk-ins off the street, offering something to those needing mental health care. How important is a service like this going to be to our region?
MCBRIDE: It is absolutely vital. For far too long, it's been too hard for people, particularly living outside of our major cities, to be able to access the support that they need and the care that they deserve. And I am a mental health worker myself and I worked in a regional community and it's why we're introducing Medicare Mental Health Centre so that people can walk in, they don't need to wait for a diagnosis, they don't need to book an appointment, and importantly the services are free.
GOLDSMITH: So what can people expect when they walk in off the street? What happens next?
MCBRIDE: When someone walks in they'll be greeted by a welcoming environment that doesn't look like a waiting room or a hospital emergency department. They'll likely be greeted by someone who's had their own personal experience, because sometimes the best start to seeking support and care is someone who's walked in your shoes. And then walking alongside either a peer worker or a mental health clinician, they'll be able to work out the best kind of support they need. And that first instance it might be some information or it might be an appointment with a social worker or with a psychologist to provide them the wraparound care that they need, importantly tailored to that individual in their circumstances and available to their friends and family too.
GOLDSMITH: So we're talking more than a triage service?
MCBRIDE: It's really important that people can walk into the one place and get the support and care that they need. So you could walk in, get some information and advice, it might be that you'll then talk to a social worker or a psychologist. Because wraparound care from multidisciplinary teams is what we know is the most effective and that's why these centres have been designed to provide that.
GOLDSMITH: This is only one of many centres across the country too, and it's something like 25 in New South Wales?
MCBRIDE: That's right, and one nearby in Bathurst. And in the not too distant future there'll be ones opening in Wilcannia and in Broken Hill, trying to make sure that wherever someone lives, they've got mental health support and care closer to home. And these services will also be networked to virtual psychologists and psychiatrists as well so that wherever you walk in Australia in the future, if you need that more specialist support from a psychologist or psychiatrist that may not be available, you'll also be linked into that and importantly for free.
GOLDSMITH: The other thing that's officially launching today is an outreach program for young First Nations people. And its going to be a culturally safe mental health and wellbeing support offered through headspace. What does it mean in practice for it to be culturally safe?
MCBRIDE: And this is why these services have been co-designed with local First Nations young people, with their families and with Aboriginal community controlled organisations to make sure that they meet the needs of young First Nations people in your community. And it also means that the services will be provided by young First Nations workers alongside other clinical or non-clinical support staff to make sure that young First Nations people have care and support that is culturally responsive, that is safe, that is informed by their local cultural practices and that meets their needs. We know that a disproportionate number of young First Nations people are impacted by mental ill health, but that for too long mainstream services, including headspace, haven't properly met their needs and we're determined to change that, and these outreach services are a big part of that.
GOLDSMITH: And what is that need?
MCBRIDE: We've seen across the country and right across the world a big increase in distress amongst young people. When headspace was first designed back in 2006, about 1 in 5 young people experienced mental health distress to the level that would be considered a diagnosed mental health condition in any 12-month period. That's now doubled. And these are global megatrends, and there's lots of theories about why, whether it's social media, climate change, cost-of living pressures. But what we know is that it is disproportionately felt by young First Nations people, which is why we're introducing more of these services to make sure that they are culturally safe and responsive to young First Nations people, including this and the one in Mutitjulu on the eastern side of Uluru. So we're making sure whether it's a young First Nations person growing up in an urban community, in a large new regional town or in a more remote community, that these services are available to them.
GOLDSMITH: In terms of it being outreach, I'm assuming that means that young people won't have to travel to get the help they need. They can stay in their own town, in their own community.
MCBRIDE: That's been one of the biggest barriers for young people living outside our major cities. And so this headspace outreach will be based from headspace in Dubbo and will go to communities like Nyngan, Warren, Condobolin, Bourke, Lightning Ridge, Walgett, visiting those communities so that young people have that support close to home and in a place where they feel most welcome.
GOLDSMITH: Do they need then access to telecommunications of some sort, whether that's a phone service or an internet connection?
MCBRIDE: One of the big step forwards in health support and also mental health support has been the changes in technology. And yes, it'll mean that they're properly supported. Most headspace centres now have got digital connectivity so that somebody can be then linked in to a service or centre, in this case in Dubbo, or to make sure that wherever the young person is or the person who's providing care that they are connected to make sure that everybody gets the most safe and responsive care.
GOLDSMITH: Both services are free, which is obviously great because I'm sure that there's probably a lot of people who haven't accessed services before because of the cost that they imagine they're going to encounter. How do people then find these services or access to them?
MCBRIDE: So people can search Medicare Mental Health online or headspace online. The Medicare Mental Health Centre in Dubbo is 106 Talbragar Street, Dubbo, and it's open 9 until 7 Monday to Friday, and 4 until 8 Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. So we've tried to make sure that these services are also open extended hours and over the weekends to make sure that more people can access them at a time that's convenient to them and meets their needs.
GOLDSMITH: In terms of the big picture, how significant do you think these services will be in easing the pressure on mental health care provision in the regions?
MCBRIDE: I'm really optimistic. I've been working in mental health and suicide prevention for most of my working life, and I think this is one of the biggest changes that we've seen. And the intention is to remove as many barriers as we can to somebody accessing care so they don't need to wait for a diagnosis. They don't need to make an appointment. And importantly, as you mentioned, the services are free. We know that one of the biggest barriers to people accessing care was the out-of-pocket costs. And we've removed that as well to make sure that anyone who needs a support can get it when they need it.
GOLDSMITH: Thank you for joining us and sharing that information with us today, Emma McBride. That's Emma McBride, who's the federal Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Rural and Regional Health. Those free services are officially launching today. And if anything we've talked about this morning has raised issues for you, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.