Conference Opening

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Conference Opening
Grampians Region Mental Health Conference Tuesday
17 March 2009 Paul Smith Director Mental Health
and Drugs Operations
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Conference Opening
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Where is the evidence?

• Funding Research
• Getting evidence into clinical practice
• Building learnings into ongoing reform
• Data to support service development

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Funding Research

• 7.7 m in research funding in 2008-09
• Alcohol Drug Research 1,281,641
• Surveillance, statistics, alcohol and drug
  reporting systems
• Research projects examining alcohol and drug
  use/misuse
• Academic research positions
• Mental Health Research 6,476,152
• Mental Heath Workforce Grants
• Beyondblue Victorian Centre of Excellence in
  Depression
• Infrastructure to support research
• Academic Positions

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Research into Practice

• Strengthening research activities to implement
  the Mental Health Reform Strategy and the New
  Blueprint for Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment
  Services
• Understanding co-morbidity
• addressing gaps in knowledge about co-morbidity,
  particularly relating to depression, anxiety and
  substance use (through bbVCOE)
• Understanding and responding to depression
• Perinatal screening for depression
• Review and evaluate policy impact and
  effectiveness
• Establishment of a Chair of Alcohol Policy to
  lead research on alcohol policy
• Improve access to services and treatment
• Longitudinal youth cohort study examining young
  peoples experiences of and pathways through AOD
  and wider service system
• Study of current intake systems and practices in
  the AOD service sector
• Deliver research based early interventions best
  practice
• CAMHS and Schools Early Action Program (CASEA)
• Responding to emerging issues

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Mental Health Reform Strategy

• Elements
• - Prevention
• - Early intervention in life, illness and
  episode
• - Recovery
• - Social inclusion
• Principles
• - Consumer centred service delivery
• - Family and carer inclusion
• - Population based planning
• - Social model of health
• - Equity and responsiveness to diversity
• - Evidence based practice

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Whole of government issues and challenges

• Schools and early years services
• - mental illness accounts for 70 of disease
  burden in young people
• - suicide accounts for 16 of all deaths in
  young people aged 15-19 years
• Justice system
• - almost 50 of those in police custody have
  some history of mental illness 17 are current
  public mental health service clients
• - 28 of prisoners have a diagnosed mental
  illness
• Homelessness services
• - 30 of people who are homeless have a mental
  illness
• - Over half of these people report developing a
  mental illness after they first became homeless

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Lessons learnt from earlier reforms

• Inadequate supported accommodation and housing
  options in the community
• Mental health professionals did not always shift
  attitude and approach in line with reforms
• Consumer empowerment needs explicit focus and
  advocacy
• Stigma and community acceptance of mental illness
  remains a barrier
• Importance of involving carers and families in
  treatment and care decisions
• Need for more outreach to support harder to reach
  groups

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Innovative models of care

• Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) facilities
• Family where parents have a mental illness
  program (FaPMI)
• Home Based Outreach Services (HBOS)
• Consumer and carer consultant positions
• Primary Mental Health and Early Intervention
  Teams

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Data and information to support service
development

• Challenges in providing better information about
• - the client journey
• - resource utilisations
• - service quality and consumer satisfaction
• Challenges in ensuring data collection and
  reporting can better support an integrated,
  person-centred system

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Review of the Mental Health Act 1986

• Evidence base for change
• stakeholder and public consultations
• written submissions
• comparative research
• Potential reform strengthening
• human rights protections
• patient participation and autonomy
• safeguards for treatment and care
• accountability and monitoring mechanisms

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Thank you

• Enjoy the conference!