Page 1268 - Week 05 - Thursday, 4 June 2020
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In the ACT there are greater options for community care to help manage mental health without resorting to inpatient admissions, where possible. Importantly, the RoGS data also shows that the ACT has, for over 10 years, had a consistently higher than national average of community mental health follow-up for people in the first seven days after discharge from hospital.
In relation to the concern from the Human Rights Commission about the revolving door in our adult mental health system, I believe this was not intended to be an all-encompassing term for the adult mental health unit in particular but was intended to reflect some of the more complex cases and the need to better provide individuals with whole-of-system wraparound supports in order to keep them well and out of hospital.
This highlights that across all areas of human services there needs to be a collective effort to help people maintain the best possible life. It can sometimes take repeated efforts to get the supports that a person needs right. We welcome the Human Rights Commission advocacy in these circumstances. I believe they bring valuable insights to the table.
The Productivity Commission undertook a significant inquiry into the economic and social impacts of mental health in 2018, and a draft report was released in late 2019. A key message was how the wider social and economic circumstances of people’s lives impact on their mental health. These determinants include factors such as housing, employment, education and transport.
This is exactly the approach that the ACT government want to take when we plan for the future of mental health services. We know that clinical and acute services are not the only driver in providing good mental health services, and this was a key driver in establishing the office for mental health and wellbeing. This aim is reflected in the territory-wide vision of mental health and wellbeing developed by the office in close consultation with the community and other key stakeholders.
The office’s vision is for a kind, connected and informed community working together to promote and protect the mental health and wellbeing of all. I am pleased to say that it is not only ACT health initiatives that are embracing this holistic approach to mental health and its determinants. It is also a fundamental part of the reasoning behind the wellbeing indicators that were announced by the Chief Minister on Canberra Day this year.
The evidence-based preferred outcome for a person experiencing mental illness is to avoid hospital admission and provide treatment in the community. We have worked tirelessly to facilitate this by providing more treatment options out of inpatient settings. The adult community mode of care endorsed in 2017 is designed to achieve a set approach to care with the aim of avoiding hospital admission whenever possible. It is aimed to support the recovery choices of an individual, considering mental health care from a more holistic perspective.
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