Mental health groups support reform

MENTAL health groups are throwing their support behind the federal government’s reforms to mental health, but want more detail on funding and delivery of services, particularly digital services.

Black Dog Institute director Helen Christensen welcomed the focus on technology, which could significantly improve mental health work in rural and regional areas.

She said the whole systems approach that incorporates education, prevention, early intervention, quality treatment and ongoing support would improve mental health care.

"A key component of the stepped care mental health released by government today is to provide mild to moderate care through a digital portal - offering e-therapies, helplines and self help programs," she said.

"The new focus leads itself strongly to online and digital mental health solutions to ensure care is effective, accessible and tailored to the individual."

Professor Christensen said how the portal would work was unclear

She said online programs such as myCompass, developed by the Black Dog Institute, were already being used by thousands of Australians.

"As the government now acknowledges, the real trick is to work out how digital stepped care can be delivered well," Professor Christensen said.

"To date the lukewarm government response has resulted in the development of prototypes but not the roll out of the innovations into clinical care or education settings. 

"The Black Dog Institute and others in the digital space want to work with the government to advance the innovation agenda, most notably in areas where many young lives are lost (suicide) or impacted (depression)."

Among the issues to be addressed are financial concerns, the promotion of e-health solutions as an alternative to face-to-face treatment, and the lack of regulation of services or e-health solutions which limits incentives for industry to develop those products.

Professor Christensen said the government needed to work with innovators and technology companies to come up with solutions. 

"Asking the innovators in this space to wait for government or to sort this out for themselves is simply the wrong approach," she said.

"We look forward to contributing to an integrated plan to put this place urgently.

"After all, lives are lost everyday, and many can be saved by digital technologies."

Mental Health Australia chief executive Frank Quinlan supported the focus on digital mental health and investment in Primary Health Networks to help them identify the right mix of services locally.

“We are particularly heartened to see the Government adopting a ‘stepped-care’ approach to mental health, recognising the increasing access and intensity needs for the millions of Australians who live with mental illness every year, depending on their individual care requirements,” he said.

“Carefully managing and communicating change, and ensuring new services are well established before old services are withdrawn will be essential to success.”

However, Mr Quinlan said it was still unclear how some of the reforms would be funded.

“We are keen to better understand how government plans to fund various elements of this package, what targets and indicators will be in place to demonstrate whether we are making a difference, and the way mental health reform will be integrated across various sectors like housing, education and employment.”

SANE Australia chief executive Jack Heath said the real test for the reforms was whether the lives of Australians affected by mental illness would be improved.

He said it was essential there were measures and indicators that could track whether or not the reforms are delivering better mental health outcomes for individuals.

"It's not about the number of services or consultations, it's about reaching more people and improving more lives and the lives of those who love them," Mr Heath said.

"Late help is always expensive help, connecting with people early on saves dollars and saves lives.

"We look forward to expanding the reach of peer to peer support services like the SANE Forums that harness the underutilised resource of people's lived experience of mental illness, across the community.”