Call for Submissions: National Review of Existing Mental Health Programmes and Services

Overview

THE 2014 NATIONAL REVIEW OF MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMMES AND SERVICES

The Australian Government has asked the National Mental Health Commission to review how effectively Australia responds to the needs of people living with mental health problems and those who support them. The Review will examine existing mental health services and programmes across the government, private and non-government sectors. You can find the Terms of Reference here.

This call for submissions will inform our Interim Report to be completed by 30 June 2014.

BACKGROUND: SUPPORTING A CONTRIBUTING LIFE

The focus of the Review will be to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of programmes and services in supporting people experiencing mental ill-health and those who support them to lead a contributing life.

Living a contributing life means:

• thriving, not just surviving
• having something meaningful to do and something to look forward to
• maintaining connections with family, friends, community and culture
• feeling safe, stable and secure
• receiving effective care, support and treatment
• suicide prevention is a priority

Why your views matter

We know that for some people accessing or working in the mental health 'system', it sometimes feels like the money already spent on mental health could be more effectively used.

We already know - from previous consultations, inquiries, and reports - that our 'mental health system' is not working as well as it could to support contributing lives.

We also know a lot about 'big picture' principles for improvement  - for example, that we need to get better at ensuring services talk to each other, are oriented around peoples' needs, and focus on outcomes. We need to ensure that we all get better value for money and better results for people, their families and supporters.

However, we know a lot less about how to achieve this. Now is the time to get practical and get specific about what needs to change on the ground and in the system, and we need your help.

We want YOU to help us identify exactly what needs to be done differently, by providing us (in this questionnaire):

1. Specific examples of good practice from your own experience
2. Specific examples from your own experience of what is not working
3. Practical, specific changes that you believe need to happen for practice, behaviour, and outcomes to improve.