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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 4422 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

in 12 months, time on the implementation of the recommendations of this report and other improvements in mental health services.

In his risk report the commissioner raises three main concerns about mental health services: resourcing, consistency, and integration. As has already been noted in the Assembly, the per capita resources provided to mental health services are below those provided by other states and the Northern Territory. That means the previous governments have let this community down. People in the ACT have less access to services, and services providers are less able to meet the community's expectations.

MR SPEAKER: Order in the press gallery!

MR STANHOPE: The complaints commissioner identified resource constraints as a key issue that needs to be addressed in the ACT. Service providers in the public sector, now integrated under Mental Health ACT, have also identified resource issues as limiting their ability to provide comprehensive mental health services to the community.

The government has responded to these concerns by increasing the funding provided to mental health services in the 2002-03 budget by $2 million, an increase of approximately 7 per cent. New areas of funding include promotion, prevention and early intervention, child and adolescent services and older persons mental health. These areas of need are reflected in the recommendations of the report.

The government places a high priority on addressing these and other areas of need in future budgets. Additional funding will help, but it will take time to overcome the many years of neglect by previous Liberal governments and bring the ACT more into line with the level of mental health funding provided in other jurisdictions.

Service improvement, however, is not simply a matter of providing additional financial resources. The development and maintenance of good, quality services rely upon the ongoing commitment of those working in the field to continuous service improvements, rigorous planning and comprehensive, regular service evaluation. The government will work to provide the tools and skills required to deliver quality care.

The commissioner's second key finding is a lack of consistency in services provided. Consumers, carers and families reported inconsistent access to high-quality, evidence-based treatment and care. The report describes the positive and negative experience of consumers and carers when accessing mental health services.

The report notes many examples of excellent work by mental health staff and particularly noted the challenging environment in which they work. This is a fitting tribute to staff who are working in the complex field of mental health care. I would like to put on record my personal thanks to mental health staff and management in the mental health field. It must be acknowledged that the work of staff is very challenging and can be disheartening and even thankless.

The staff of Mental Health ACT continue to demonstrate dedication and an ongoing commitment to quality care. This is a point recognised by the complaints commissioner in the risk report. I do not want this report to be misinterpreted and in any way used to criticise mental health staff. Demoralised staff mean a worse service, not a better one.

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