University Report: Australian Mental Health Reform Policies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of mental health reform policies in Australia. It begins with an executive summary highlighting the significance of mental health concerns and the introduction of reform policies. The introduction details the prevalence of mental illness in Australia and the government's support for reform initiatives, specifically focusing on the Roadmap for National Mental Health Reform 2021-22. The report outlines the objectives of the reform, which include providing uninterrupted and effective services, leveraging technology, and gathering patient feedback. Short-term and long-term goals are discussed, including plans developed by Primary Health Networks (PHNs) and the enhancement of services in rural and remote areas. Key principles guiding the reform, such as early detection, community care, and support for patients during life transitions, are also presented. The report then delves into the steps of implementation, emphasizing the role of PHNs in funding distribution, regional approaches, and the 'stepped care' model. The Fifth National Mental Health Plan's focus on reducing stigma, improving physical health, and addressing suicide rates is discussed, along with the importance of consumer feedback and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The role of the Australian government and state governments, particularly in funding various initiatives, is also detailed, including budget allocations for specialist recruitment, community support, and mental health research. Finally, the report addresses challenges and provides recommendations, concluding with an overview of the reform's impact and future directions.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
Mental Health Reform in Australia
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
Executive Summary
Mental health is a serious area of concern in Australia and in world too. To resolve this problem
Australia has taken a vital step that is introduction of mental health reform policies. In recent
past, it is one of the major health reform policies in Australia. In this report, the mental health
reform policies of Australia is briefly described. Along with this, the principles, objective and
methods of implementation is also mentioned. It is seen that the PHNs and GPs are primary care
provider in case of mental health patients. Later, the government policies in implementing those
plans are highlighted.

2MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Objectives........................................................................................................................................3
Principle...........................................................................................................................................4
Steps of Implementation..................................................................................................................5
Role of Government........................................................................................................................7
Challenges and Recommendation....................................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8

3MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
Introduction
The advancement of a current health care strategies and introduction of a brand new
health care policies can be defined as the health care reform. The government is very much
responsible in introduction of a new health care policy or correction of an existing policy as the
government has immense role in implementation. So it can be said that, the role of government
in implementing those policies is another definition of the health care reform. In recent period of
time, Australia has introduced various health reform plans and among them mental health reform
is one of the important health reform in Australia. The Council of Australian Government
(COAG) recently has launched a program named Roadmap for National Mental Health Reform
2021-22 in order to refurnish the existing plans and policies of the mental health care (Whiteford
et al., 2014). Mental illness is one of the major concern of Australia and in Australia. According
to a report of The Department of Health, almost half of the population that is almost 45.5% of
total population is affected by mental illness in Australia ("Department of Health | Prevalence of
mental disorders in the Australian population", 2018). The mental health reform strategies are
supported by the Australian Government so that the prevalence of the mental illness can be
reduced and it should be in the controllable range. In this report, the mental health reform policy
of Australia, the principles, objectives of the mental health reform, various pathways of
implementation of the plans, role of government in execution of those plans and possible
recommendation is briefly discussed.
Objectives
The main goal of the Australian mental health reform strategy is to give an uninterrupted
and effective service to the mentally ill patients of Australia. Day by day it is seen that the new

4MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
technology is invented and it is a serious challenge for the health care provider to give an
appropriate care by using those modern technologies along with increasing accessibility to all
kind of information. The main goal of the mental health reform plans is to gather information
about the experiences of the patients’ related to their opinion about the whole system, and about
the failure of the system that are used to provide care to the patients. There are short term and
long term objective of the mental health reform program. In the short term outcomes, it is
expected that a proper plan should be formed within the time period of (2016-17) by the help of
the PHNs and this plans are primarily focusing on the regional mentally ill patients. By using the
Medicine Benefit Schedule (MBS), PHNs will supervise the facilities for the mental health
patients’ in the territories and states. After rectifying the real gaps in the mental health service an
improved plan can be made and that will result in increase in referral cases to the proper experts
and improvement of mental health services. In the long term goal of this program is to observe
the mental health services for the minimally ill patients that is the low intensity mental health
services. Another long term goal of the mental health reform is to recognize the service lack
related to psychological therapies of rural and remote area patients. In addition, enhancement of
the service to the Torres Strait Islander is also another major area of concern (Aasw.asn.au,
2018). Lastly it can be said that, by introducing the mental health reform the mental health care
sector tries to transform themselves into a new level as they are in front of a crucial condition
related to mental health care.
Principle
There is a few principle that is followed by the mental health reform program of
Australia. For example it can be said that, the government authorities mainly follows the
principle like early detection of mental health problems, giving emergency care to the rural

5MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
patients of mental health, giving special care to the mental health patients of older ages,
providing a community level care , allowing more funds for the mental health care and research.
Giving assistance to the mental health patients, who are in the transition period of their life after
getting treated by the mental health care provider, is another key principle of that reform
policies. The main goal of this assistance is to help those patients in coming back into their
regular life (Crowe, 2017).
Steps of Implementation
To execute the mental health reform strategies in Australia, the Australian government
has a few methods and those are followed during the implementation process of the mental
health reform. In latest mental health reform in Australia the government has initial focus on the
introduction of Primary Health Network (PHN) in the treatment of the mentally ill patients.
PHNs mainly play the role of medium who are responsible for the transmission of decision
related to mental health care funding by the government to the local people of a particular
locality in which they are operating as a health care professionals. To get the best outcome the
PHNs mainly use the regional methods and languages (Meute et al., 2015).Under those PHNs
there are several programs and that includes various development plans for the mental health
patients of rural and remote areas. Along with this, they also try to detect signs of psychotic
disorders, prevention of suicidal cases in the mental health patients... They also focuses on how
to access the Allied Professionals Scheme (ATAPS) and other incentives related scheme for the
mental health nurses (Rickwood et al., 2015). A ‘stepped care’ model is a very effective care
model in case of treatment of the mental health patients and PHNs mainly follows this technique.
The main goal of this technique is to give service in a broad range and also to arrange service
according to the needs of the mental health patients (McGorry et al., 2014). They also use the

6MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
regional approaches while providing services to the mental health patients and by using the
regional approaches they also try to prevent suicides among the mental health patients (Bolton,
Gunnell & Turecki, 2015). They also provide services to the minimally ill patients along with
the severely ill patients. Not only this, they also give support to the patients who are at mild to
moderate risk zone of mental illness as they have also the right to access all kind of services. The
services for the mild to moderate ill patients is referred to as low intensity services (Clarke &
Yarborough, 2013). The PHNs should use this technique in order to treat this type of patients
who are at initial stage of their illness (Glavin & Leahy-Warren, 2013). In addition More PHNs
should be engaged in the care of patients where there is a critical stage of stepped care exist. The
sites selected are not biased and consists of rural and as well as metropolitan regions. This
selection method will help to enhance the quality of stepped care model, low intensity care
model and in addition the available health care packages will also be improved by this process
(Aasw.asn.au, 2018). In Fifth National mental health plan mainly focus on reducing the social
stigma related to the mental health illness and along with this, another major concern is
improvement of health condition of the mental health patients as it is seen that physical health
condition of the mental health patients is not good enough. This plan also focuses on the
reduction of suicides among the mental health patients. However this plan focuses mainly on the
suicidal cases of the patients who have already received treatment from the mental health care. In
addition, the mental health condition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is another area
of concern and giving special care to them is one of the major part of implementing the mental
health reform plan. The responses form the consumer after having services should be
documented so that those feedbacks can be utilized in betterment of services. To fix a particular
cost for the mental health services a scheme was introduced named National Disability Insurance

7MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
Scheme (NDIS) and the main function of this scheme was to document an appropriate price rate.
This documented price values can be used in various type of mental health care along with
various other sectors (Brophy et al., 2014). To get the most positive outcome of this plan, PHNs
should be engaged in many other ways like rural care policies and introducing new ideas related
to suicide prevention. To support the mental health patients in the transition phase, the partners
in recovery (PIR) policy should be increased (Smith-Merry et al., 2015). A Mental health reform
community is engaged in giving more support to the patients by transmitting the reports of
changes caused by the implementation program to their higher authorities.
Role of Government
In implementing any kind of reform policies in a country, the government of that country
in the most important stakeholders and Australia is not different from this condition. In
implementing the mental health reform program in Australia, Australian Government and
government of different territories are very much active and they are directly associated with the
execution of the mental health reform policies by allowing funds for those programs (Mason,
2013). New South Wales (NSW) government has released budget for this program and that it is
almost $95 million. From this fund, $6.4 million is given for the transition phase of the mentally
ill patients. Along with this, $1.6 million was allowed for the improvement of second stage of
community living initiative process in Sydney, South Eastern Sydney, Northern Sydney, Central
Coast, Western Sydney and Western NSW. It was revealed that, this funds would be used for
helping the mental health care provider who are providing care at community level in Western
Sydney. Moreover, $38 million was allowed to increase the number of specialists who are expert
in giving mental health care. To support the community in various territories and state of
Australia $3.6 million was funded and this fund ultimately would help the Aboriginal and Torres

8MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
Strait Islander clinicians of mental health. To provide support to the adolescent and child patient
of mental health almost $2.2 million was given as fund in specific regions like South Western
Sydney, Mid North Coast, Central Coast, Western Sydney, and Northern NSW. To provide
psychological support to the patients of NSW, $39 million was allowed in budget. This funding
was mainly allowed to secure plans for the refugees who came from Asian countries like Iraq
and Syria. In order to recruit a huge number of trained personnel in mental health care sector a
few amount of funding ($ 2.2 million) was released by the government. However, a few amount
of fund would be spent as work force scholarship and that would be given to the mental health
worker. Another important role of government in this reform policy is to allow fund for mental
health research. For completion of this purpose government had allowed almost $5.1 million.
From this amount, $3.4 million would be used for innovation and research purposes. Moreover, $
1.7million would be used in modern techniques of data collection and that ultimately improve
the quality of researches. In addition, it would help in betterment of mental health care in
Australia and other territories ("Mental Health Reform 2017-18 - Reform", 2018).
Challenges and Recommendation
In Australia, people of various cultures will be found and they have their own language to
speak. This cultural diversity and use of a huge number of languages have become a barrier to
execute the mental health reform policies in Australia (Minas et al., 2013). In order to overcome
those barriers, government and concerned authorities should recruit more GPs and PHNs who
belong from different cultures. This will directly help in caring patients of different cultures. In
addition to this, more amount of funding should be given as funds for pursuing more research in
that field (Hall, 2015).

9MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that mental health reform is a crucial step in the mental
health care sector of Australia. The Australian Government has taken a lot of steps in order to
deliver a proper health care in mental health sector. The PHNs and GPs are directly associated
with the care giving process. However, there is a lot of scopes of improvement in terms care
giving.

10MENTAL HEALTH REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
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