Healthcare Services in WA: Policy, Politics, and Law Analysis

This report provides an overview of the healthcare system in Western Australia (WA), examining the interplay of private and government services. It highlights the role of general practitioners, various health professionals, and the range of services available, including those for mental health, alcohol and other drug (AOD) addiction, and general well-being. The report discusses specific services like Next Step Drug and Alcohol Services and Headspace Osborne Park, emphasizing the prevalence of substance use among young people and its impact on mental health. It also explores the WA Health Networks' model of care, which aims to deliver effective and efficient healthcare, along with the MHC prevention model and falls prevention model of care. The report references several studies and resources to support its findings, emphasizing the importance of harm minimization, early intervention, and integrated care within the WA healthcare system.

Running Head: HEALTHCARE 0
Policy, politics and Law B
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In Western Australia (WA), there is a mix of services in health system provided by
private health care providers and the Australian and State Governments. People talk to
general practitioner (GP) when concerned about their mental and physical health mainly
working in private practices or clinics. Health professional take care for patients of all ages in
terms of concerning health issues such as mental illness and mental health, AOD (Alcohol
and Other Drug) addiction, and healthy lifestyle tips (Spivakovsky & Seear, 2017).
Furthermore, there is broad range of services available and provided by some private and not-
for-profit organisations and the government in Western Australia. Such health services
include school health, child health, sexual health, women’s health, community health,
immunisation, and syringe and needle programs (Bright, Walsh, & Williams, 2018). There
are qualified nurses to take care of basic health treatment in Western Australia’s hospitals
such as private hospitals managed by private companies, public hospitals managed by WA
Health, and running of public hospitals in partnership with private companies.
WA provides multiple treatment services through “Next Step Drug and Alcohol
Services (Next Step)” for people who experience problems in association with their AOD
along with supporting families. These services include the Inpatient Withdrawal Unit at East
Perth, Outpatient services at East Perth and via integrated Community Alcohol and Drug
Services at six metropolitan locations, Community Pharmacotherapy Program, and
Outpatient and medical support for young people via the integrated Drug and Alcohol Youth
Service (MHC, 2020). AOD support service is provided to people 24/7 with non-judgemental
telephone, information, support lines, counselling and referral. There are services provided by
headspace Osborne Park which is a confidential and free service helping young people
between the age of 12 to 25 with their wellbeing and health services. Headspace provides
treatment and assessment for substance use. Its use can cause perception, affects mood, alters
sense and generate consciousness; this disorder can be due to cannabis, alcohol, sedatives,
hallucinogens, opioids, hypnotics, inhalants, anxiolytics, tobacco, stimulants and other as
substances (Lubman, et al., 2016). It is common is young people where individuals can have
different patterns and reasons for using such substance. The use of such substance can be
heavy, prolonged, or creates personal or social problems which can lead to meeting diagnosis
in case of any disorder. Alcohol is the most common substance used by young people in WA
or Australia overall. A survey was taken of secondary students between the age of 12 and 16
years, the result was that 74 per cent of them had tried alcohol and other 15 and 17 per cent
used cannabis and inhalants once in their lives. This use of substance can lead to mental

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health disorders for young people to experience where 12.7 per cent of people between the
ages of 16 to 24 in Australia are estimated to have such disorder. The estimation stated that
young men were more likely to use substance than young women where harmful alcohol use
was the most common in relation to substance use disorder (Headspace, 2020).
Under WA Health Networks, the objective of model of care is to make sure that
people get the right care, at the right time, from the right team and at the right place
effectively and efficiently. Model of care is a multifaceted concept widely defining the way
of delivery health services. This concept outlines the best practice for providing care delivery
to patient with the help of set of service principles applications across the patient flow
continuums ad clinical streams as identified (O’Connor & McLaurin, 2018). In WA, model of
care aims at providing best practice services within the health care system for people while
they progress through the event, injury or condition stages in relation to mental illness and
AOD addiction. The development of this concept shows other objectives consisting
improvement in access to services, providing high quality and safe health care, reducing
inequality in terms of health status, promoting patient centred care continuum, optimising
private and public services, ensuring value for money, being financially sustainable in
relation to an integrated system, improving the primary, preventative and acute care balance,
and supporting dedicated and highly skilled workforce (Lintzeris, et al., 2020). In terms of
effectiveness, over 75 per cent regions other than WA indicates the use of model of care for
collaboration, informed planning and service delivery, promotion of evidence-based care
delivery, quality healthcare understanding, sharing health reform vision, and informed
strategic objectives and goals.
Source: (WW2, 2012).

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There are structures and models consistently to take care of patients such as the
approach of harm minimisation for preventing harm in relation to AOD and acknowledging
the impact of both protective and risk factors. In WA, the model of MHC prevention is one to
adapt while providing services to patients in relation to AOD and mental illness prevention
with effectiveness and efficiency. There is a difference in the commodities of AOD that can
or cannot be consumed by people where this model aims at community experiencing optimal
mental health and harms in relation to minimal AOD. This model can help with increasing
involvement while responding to the issues of AOD use and community engagement, it is
required to improve national coordination, it is essential to develop responses for regulating
or restricting the AOD availability, and sharing data and development for supporting the
approaches which are evidence-informed (MHC WA, 2018).
The MHC Prevention model
Source: (MHC WA, 2018)
Another model of care is “falls prevention model of care” which requires multiple
options for making priority setting and investment decisions based on the AOD and mental
health services in Western Australia along with regular budgetary process to take care of
people. In such cases of support and care model used for services requires improved
efficiency throughout the system which is monitored by looking at ways of hospital treating
emergency patients in ED (emergency departments) and providing them accessibility of care.

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It is the duty of ED to look towards the high-performing services for improving the
experience of patients in the hospitals effectively (Victoria, 2016). Thus, in terms of
effectiveness and efficiency of services for people suffering from AOD addiction and mental
illness, model of care is used for promotion and prevention, early detection and intervention,
continuity and integration of care, and self-management.

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References
Bright, S., Walsh, K., & Williams, C. (2018). Point prevalence and patterns of mental health
comorbidity among people accessing Australia's first older adult–specific alcohol and
other drug treatment service. Journal of dual diagnosis, 14(1), 70-75.
Headspace. (2020). Substance Use Assessment & Treatment. Retrieved from Headspace:
https://headspace.org.au/health-professionals/information-and-guidelines/
understanding-substance-abuse-for-health-professionals/
Lintzeris, N., Monds, L., Bravo, M., Read, P., Harrod, M., Gilliver, R., & Wood, W. (2020).
Designing, implementing and evaluating the overdose response with take home‐
naloxone model of care: An evaluation of client outcomes and perspectives. Drug and
Alcohol Review, 39(1), 55-65.
Lubman, D., Garfield, J., Manning, V., Berends, L., Best, D., Mugavin, J., & Lam, T. (2016).
Characteristics of individuals presenting to treatment for primary alcohol problems
versus other drug problems in the Australian patient pathways study. BMC psychiatry,
16(1), 250.
MHC. (2020). Next Step Drug and Alcohol Services. Retrieved from Mental Heath
Commission: https://www.mhc.wa.gov.au/about-us/our-services/next-step-drug-and-
alcohol-services/
MHC WA. (2018). MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION, MENTAL ILLNESS AND ALCOHOL
AND OTHER DRUG PREVENTION PLAN 2018 - 2025. Retrieved from MHC:
https://www.mhc.wa.gov.au/media/2235/prevention-plan-draft-for-consultation.pdf
O’Connor, A., & McLaurin, R. (2018). Women and Newborn Drug and Alcohol Service
(WANDAS): challenges and model of care. results of audits in 2017. Women and
Birth, 31, S9.
Spivakovsky, C., & Seear, K. (2017). Making the abject: Problem-solving courts, addiction,
mental illness and impairment. Continuum, 31(3), 458-469.
Victoria. (2016, October). Efficiency and Effectiveness of Hospital Services: Emergency
Care. Retrieved from Victorian Auditor-General’s Report:
https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/file_uploads/Auditor-

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General_Efficiency_and_Effectiveness_of_Hospital_Services_Emergency_Care_pLD
bBKbC.pdf
WW2. (2012, November). Results of the Models of Care Survey. Retrieved from Western
Australia Health Department:
https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/Corporate/general%20documents/Health
%20Networks/PDF/Health-Networks-Modelsofcare-Surveys.pdf