This Week

It hasn't taken long for the year to pick up pace! With the parallel roll-out of the Government's mental health reforms, and the NDIS there are many issues affecting services and programs and uncertainty is still a significant pressure on our talented workforce. For those who live with mental illness there are some promising signs that the aims of future reforms might bring greater choice and control; but in the short to medium term uncertainty regarding access to supports remains a constant pressure.

NDIS 'Guided Planning'

The NDIA is trialling a new ‘guided planning’ process, which will be implemented from 1 July this year. The NDIA explains that the intention of the guided process “is to create a planning conversation which is both individualised whilst still being convenient for the participant…. the planner uses the guided questions to tailor packages to the individual needs of participants.” It is also intended to provide a rapid entry path to the planning process for those entering the scheme, in the hope that more comprehensive plans can be developed over time - a welcome goal. 

Following consultation with our newly created NDIS Community of Interest, we provided detailed feedback to the NDIA, which noted:

• the questions do not appear to be suitable or tailored for people with psychosocial disability;
• insufficient attention was paid to the needs of carers, and ensuring that carers were adequately involved in the guided planning process; and
• the guided planning process does not recognise the importance of developing and maintaining ongoing, trusting relationships between participants and any providers or workers – especially where valued relationships already exist

This is a trial process and we will continue to provide feedback and input as the trial progresses.

Today I am attending the NDIA CEO's Forum in Melbourne which gives us an excellent opportunity to provide input directly to the NDIA CEO, Board Chair and senior staff.  Today we are discussing the Guided Planning Framework, the ILC, and the NDIS Outcomes Framework.

MHiMA Update

Thank you to everyone who participated in the MHiMA Project public consultation. We received over 60 responses, with a last few still trickling in. The responses have provided us with a diverse and informative view of the MHiMA Project and multicultural mental health, and a range of suggestions for the future. Consultation feedback will inform the recommendations we provide to the Department of Health about possible future directions for the MHiMA Project. The recommendations report is due to the Department in late March 2016.

This week I met with the National CaLD Consumer and Carer Working Group (NCCCWG) and the Project Advisory Group, to discuss activities to date (including preliminary findings from the public consultation and the independent review of the Framework) and possible recommendations for the future of the MHiMA Project.  A special thank you to those who participated in each workshop – the days were productive, full of lively discussion and great ideas. I also want to acknowledge the passion, commitment and expertise members of the NCCCWG and the Project Advisory Group brought to the workshops and the support they’re providing to the MHiMA Project more broadly. 

For more information about the MHiMA Project please click on the link at the bottom of this article.

NCCCWG input into the MHiMA Project Consultation

The NCCCWG met with me and other Mental Health Australia staff on Wednesday in Canberra, as part of Mental Health Australia’s work around the future directions of the MHiMA Project.  NCCCWG members provided dedicated input from the CaLD consumer and carer perspective and their knowledge and expertise of the multicultural mental health sector. 

On Thursday, NCCCWG consumer and carer representatives Nevena Simic (SA) and Damir Trokic (QLD) joined the MHiMA Project Advisory Group discussion.  The Advisory Group is providing advice about the future directions of the MHiMA Project, which will inform Mental Health Australia’s recommendations to Government.  Nevena, an accredited Social Worker and Psychotherapist, former refugee and CaLD consumer representative, spoke from her intimate knowledge of the challenges and impacts of immigration and raised the issues of grief and loss experienced by refugee populations which need to be addressed.  Damir, a Nurse working within acute care environments, is also a former refugee and carer for his parents.  Damir shared his insights into the different perspectives of consumers and carers of multicultural background and the need for different pathways to care for these groups. 

For more information about the work of the NCCCWG please contact Ãine Tierney, NCCCWG Support Officer, at aine.tierney@mhaustralia.org

Social impact and investing roundtable

On Tuesday our Director of Policy and Projects, Josh Fear, attended a roundtable on social impact investing and health in Sydney, co-convened by the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA) and Holman Webb lawyers. The focus of discussions was on the complexities of the social impact bond market, which is very much at embryonic stage in Australia but which is attracting growing interest from regulators, investors and some non-profit service providers. Setting up social impact bonds in mental health is likely to be particularly challenging (but by no means impossible), because of the various factors which contribute to mental health outcomes. If you’re interested in these issues, you can read more in Mental Health Australia’s recent paper on Commissioning and contracting to improve mental health outcomes (see page 11) and AHHA's publication on Options for finance in primary care in Australia.

Australian Mental Health Care Classification

You may recall being part of conversations over the last year or so regarding the Australian Mental Health Care Classification (AMHCC) being developed by the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority (IHPA). We have been working with IHPA to engage mental health stakeholders in the AMHCC’s development and to help ensure the services provided through the community managed mental health sector are appropriately reflected in the AMHCC as it evolves over time.

A concrete outcome from this work is a Needs Assessment we prepared for IPHA, which attempts to address the question: ‘How can community-managed mental health providers adopt the new AMHCC?’ A copy of the Needs Assessment is now available on our website - see link below.

Thanks to all those who have contributed to recent discussions on the AMHCC, Activity Based Funding and data capacity in the community managed sector. The AMHCC is a long-term term venture, and it will be some time until we see it reflect the full diversity of services that meet the definition of ‘mental health care’. We look forward to further engagement with IHPA and our members as the process unfolds. 

Parliamentary news

Senate estimates

Last Wednesday and Thursday, the Department of Health, Department of Social Services and the National Disability Insurance Agency appeared before Senate Estimates.  There were a few items of interest to the mental health sector:

• At the moment, the government still intends to pursue the proposal to remove DSP from people in psychiatric confinement, but no timeframes were provided. We have actively advised against this measure, and you can read more here and here.
• New anomalies and problems regarding the rollout of the NDIS continue to surface. It appears that Radio for the Print Handicapped in Canberra is likely to lose part of its funding on 30 June this year, due to the NDIS rollout.
• The NDIA is trialling ‘guided planning’ in the ACT. You can see more about that in my article, above.
• Senator Gallagher and Senator Rice, spent a significant amount of time emphasising the impact that funding uncertainty is having on service providers, the workforce and consumers.
• The National Mental Health Service Planning Framework (NMHSPF) should be finalised by June. However, there is still no firm commitment to release it.  Mental Health Australia has long been advocating for its public release, as a vital planning tool for the sector.
• There is now no firm timeframe for the completion of the 5th National Mental Health Plan. 

If you are interested in some light reading, the complete transcripts are available via the links below:

• Health (pages 65-85 are the most relevant)
• DSS and NDIA (NDIS starts at page 52)

Reminders

Charity Dinner at NSW Parliament House

Our friends at the Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation are holding an exclusive charity dinner at NSW Parliament House on Wednesday 9 March. Guests include the Hon Scott Morrison MP, the Hon Mike Baird MP and Jessica Rowe and the event will be hosted by Chris Bath. Limited tickets are available so if you are interested please click on the link below for details.

headspace research reveals roadmap to increased help seeking

A report recently released by national youth mental health foundation headspace shows that stigma remains a significant barrier amongst vulnerable groups of young people in seeking help for mental health issues. The results from this second part of the three staged SIP initiative examined the facilitators and barriers for young people accessing and engaging with headspace’s services from specific population groups. For full details or to download the full report please visit the website.

Executive Officer position available - Mental Health Carers ARAFMI Australia

Mental Health Carers ARAFMI Australia are currently advertising for a new Executive Officer to provide executive leadership to the organisation. Reporting to the President and based in Melbourne, the position is responsible for a range of policy planning, representation and media management. To apply - please go to www.jofisher.com and click on 'APPLY ONLINE' using reference MINeoa0216. 

Deputy Commissioner position available - Mental Health Commission of NSW

The Mental Health Commission of NSW is currently seeking expressions of interest for the position of Deputy Commissioner.  The Deputy is responsible for leading the preparation of reports to Parliament on the implementation of Living Well: Strategic Plan for Mental Health in NSW and managing the development and implementation of the Commission’s function to review and report on services and systemic mental health issues. Full details including instructions on how to apply are available from the website.

Comprehensive DBT Clinician Training

Professor Alan Fruzzetti will be leading a Comprehensive DBT Clinician training in Melbourne at St Vincent's, commencing June 19.  DBT is considered globally as the 'gold standard' treatment for BPD as well as all other mental illness with emotional dysregulation.  Its underpinning research and evidence is vast for BPD, trauma, anorexia and domestic violence. The last Australian comprehensive training was over five years ago. Early Bird Discount bookings are prior to March 15. Details are available from the website.

My Career Pathways to Practice, Mental Health Practitioner Conference 2016

Aftercare are hosting the 'My Career' Pathways to Practice, Mental Health Practitioner National Conference in Sydney on 6 April. The conference is a one day, highly interactive networking and learning event exploring the professional development and strategic positioning of this rapidly growing role, so as to leverage maximum benefit to all stakeholders. Full details are available from the website.  

Development Grants for Health Sector Women

In 2016 Women & Leadership Australia is administering a national initiative to support the development of female leaders across the health sector. From this week the initiative will provide women in the health sector with grants for leadership development. More specifically, grant applications are open to women employed in the health sector at two levels. Please click on the preferred program link for details.  The deadline for expressing your interest for this funding in your sector ends on March 31st. 

• Advanced Leadership Program
• Accelerated Leadership Performance Program

Warm regards,
Frank
Frank Quinlan
Chief Executive Officer

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