PATRICK REINCKE, ABC: Now in some good news this morning, people across Broken Hill and the Central Darling will soon have free walk-in mental health support and care, with the opening of two new Medicare Mental Health Centres. The centres will provide on-the-spot support for people in distress and ongoing care for more complex mental health needs. Now, I spoke earlier to Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride.
ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: I’m really pleased to make this announcement. We know that there is growing need in the community for mental health services, particularly affordably and close to home. That’s why I was so pleased to make the announcement with the New South Wales Minister Rose Jackson of two new Medicare Mental Health Centres, one in Broken Hill and another in in the Central Darling, with a location to be determined working with the Primary Health Network and the local community.
These centres will provide free walk-in mental health support and care, immediate support for those in distress, or more ongoing support for people with complex needs.
REINCKE: So have you seen these Medicare Mental Health Centres rolled out in the past? Have some been set up and are up and running already?
MCBRIDE: In New South Wales alone we're opening 22 centres, and half of those are up and running. Recently, I had the opportunity to be at the official opening of the Medicare Mental Health Centre in Coffs Harbour, and in just three weeks since they'd opened their doors, already 60 local people had benefited from the support and care that they were providing through the new Medicare Mental Health Centre. And, as I said, free and close to home.
REINCKE: Why are these centres needed in all these regional centres?
MCBRIDE: I'm a healthcare worker myself and I've worked in regional communities, and we know that there is growing demand in the community for this sort of support and care. There is increasing distress – the long tail of COVID-19, natural disasters, droughts and the struggles of day to day life are causing increasing distress in the community and increasing demand on services, which is why we're rolling out these centres, including in regional and more remote parts of Australia.
REINCKE: In rural and regional Australia, is it a hope that this will help bridge the gap to having that accessibility to these services that maybe those living in the city have readily available access to, but those living out in rural and regional communities may struggle to get? Is this to sort of help bridge the gap and give those people in regional communities as exactly what city people get?
MCBRIDE: We want to make sure that for any person, wherever they live in Australia, that they get good access to quality care and affordably. We also know the gap that has existed in accessing care and the problems associated with that for individuals and communities. So we're really having a strong focus on the rollout of these centres, including in the more regional and remote parts of Australia, to make sure that someone can walk in without having to wait for an appointment, without needing a referral, and be able to get on the spot support and care or more ongoing care if they require it. And importantly, in the recent Budget, we've invested another almost $30 million in this program to make sure that every centre will have access to a psychiatrist or psychologist on call, to make sure that people who may need that specialised care have it available to them.
REINCKE: Well, speaking on the financial side of things, Minister, how much is being put forward to these projects to bring them to life?
MCBRIDE: Across these two centres, the one in Broken Hill and one in Central Darling, will be a combined investment of over $10 million from the Federal Albanese Government. And the Minns Labor Government – a really significant investment in providing the right kind of resources, so that people in regional communities can get the support and care that they deserve.
REINCKE: And when you go into one of these centres when it is done and dusted and complete, what sort of staff will be part of the services that it will provide?
MCBRIDE: You'll most likely be greeted by a peer worker. Someone with their own personal experiences is often the best person to be able to provide that support and care. They'll be a welcoming environment where people feel safe. They'll be staffed by mental health social workers, mental health nurses, peer workers – so a multidisciplinary team providing wraparound support and care to meet the individual needs that a person has in distress or with more ongoing and complex needs.
REINCKE: Minister, we're hearing stories after stories of regional health services struggling to keep nurses or recruit nurses to rural and remote communities. How do you expect to tackle that challenge when you open up a new Medicare Mental Health Centre here in Broken Hill, for instance?
MCBRIDE: Importantly, we're doing this in partnership with the New South Wales State Government, and the Primary Health Network will work very closely with existing service providers to make sure that we're making the best use of the health workforce that we have to have the most impact. So this collaborative approach between the Federal Government and the State Government, and working very closely through the Primary Health Network on the ground to make sure that we're getting the most out of the healthcare workers we have in an integrated way that's providing the best kind of wraparound support and care for people and families.
REINCKE: So when you look at the terms like multidisciplinary care teams, including social workers, nurses, peer support workers, is the hope that these will be permanently based in Broken Hill, in Central Darling, rather than having any fly-in, fly-out psychologists or specialists?
MCBRIDE: Yes. And in the centres that I've visited where- that we're opening across the country, there are local nurses, local social workers, local psychologists who are choosing to work in Medicare Mental Health Centres because they're the type of environment that provides the sort of support and care that they're keen to be a part of. So strong- a strong network of local health providers, and also with the support through a virtual network of more specialist psychiatrists and psychologists when they're needed.
REINCKE: And what about in terms of overall care, if there was crisis support? Are there any beds available in this particular Medicare health centre that will be put into Broken Hill or into the Central Darling? Will there be beds for overnight staying in crisis, or is that not available?
MCBRIDE: So this particular service is for people in the community. So somebody who is in distress and might have had a relationship breakdown, problems at work. But also for people with more moderate to severe or ongoing needs, there is also a strong referral pathway so that if somebody is in distress and ends up in crisis, that they’ll be able to be referred to the most appropriate service that meets their needs.
REINCKE: So what is the next step now, Minister? Is it a design process? Is there a template that you have for previous Medicare Mental Health Centres that will just be put onto an available block of land in Broken Hill? What's the next few steps look like?
MCBRIDE: So Western New South Wales Primary Health Network will be working very closely to be able to commission the operator to run the service, and to identify the most suitable location in both Broken Hill and the Central Darling region with the expectation that the services will be up and running by the middle of next year, to make sure that every Australian, wherever they live, including in the bush, gets access to quality care, close to home when they need it. And that's what Medicare Mental Health Centres will do.
REINCKE: That was Emma McBride, the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Now, the Medicare Mental Health Centres will be staffed by multidisciplinary care teams, and they include social workers, nurses and even peer support workers. And they will provide wraparound support and care across extended hours, and the location for the Central Darling Shire is not yet decided.