It’s time to ensure people get the services they needEvents in South Australia this week have highlighted the needs of people with psychosocial disability, with the release of a report estimating as many as 19,000 South Australians are not receiving necessary psychosocial support services. The thing is, this isn’t just a South Australian issue, it’s a national issue. This is the first of multiple reports undertaken across states, territories and nationally to examine the gap in psychosocial support services. While Australia recognises the rights of people with psychosocial disability to full and equal participation, we clearly still have a long way to go in making this a reality. Psychosocial support services provide recovery-oriented support to empower people experiencing mental health challenges and their family and carers to improve their wellbeing and participate in the community. Evidence shows psychosocial supports help people with psychosocial disability to spend less time in hospital; find stable housing, education and employment; improve their physical health and wellbeing; and be more involved in their communities. Psychosocial support services are delivered through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and some other programs. However, while an estimated 700,000 Australians with mental health conditions would benefit from psychosocial services, only 61,000 people with psychosocial disability (as their primary disability) are receiving supports through the NDIS. Back in 2020, the Productivity Commission estimated that 154,000 people with severe and persistent mental illness were not able to access the psychosocial support services they need, with a funding shortfall of around $610 million per year. As the South Australian report indicates, this massive gap still exists. As the Minister for the NDIS Bill Shorten keeps saying, this puts further pressure on the NDIS, because “it’s a wasteland outside of it”. As the Minister has said “it can’t be the case that if you have a serious mental illness, that you either get NDIS or you’re in hospital and there’s nothing in between”. Through the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, Australian governments have committed to “work together to develop and agree future psychosocial support arrangements (including roles and responsibilities) for people who are not supported through the NDIS”. The first step is analysing need vs availability of psychosocial supports, as South Australia has done – due for completion nationally by March 2024. Mental Health Australia welcomes this work to better understand the gap in psychosocial services. More important however will be addressing the gap. Mental Health Australia intends to provide advice on the kinds of psychosocial support services governments should prioritise to address this gap. The advice will outline evidence-based psychosocial support service models of care, initiatives and approaches. We’ll do this by consulting with people with lived experience of psychosocial disability, carers, families, service providers, researchers and other key stakeholders. We’ll shortly be emailing members with more information on how to inform this work. It’s time to act on the gap in psychosocial supports and Mental Health Australia is ready to assist the Australian Government to do so. Have a good weekend.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia
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