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Speaking frankly...                                       

Let’s pilot a better system and learn from our mistakes

Many of us commenced the week confronted by the CCTV footage of Miriam Merten in such a distressed and distressing state in one of our mental health facilities.

The outpouring of anger and disgust was swift and sincere, but we are yet to see whether the horrific footage will be a catalyst for real and lasting reform, or whether it will quietly join the archive of historic abuses that stretch back to the Burdekin report and beyond.

I understand two inquiries have been established to recommend changes, but for those of us whose shelves are filled with such reports, it is hard to understand why yet more inquiries are needed to achieve change.

I happen to be an amateur pilot, and one of the things that is drummed into pilots from the beginning of their training is encouragement to be a “student of failure”.  

Each week the Air Transport Safety Bureau send me notifications of incident reports. These reports take two forms – the first is an initial report on what is known about any recent events, the second is full reports on investigations that have been completed.

So if a light plane crashed anywhere in Australia this week, I am sent an initial report – me, a recently qualified, low hours pilot, flying for fun in Canberra. These reports include many details – weather, pilot readiness and planning, Air Traffic Conditions, mechanical information and service reports, any anomalies and irregularities – all of which will be examined more fully by a complete investigation.
 
Almost always, serious incidents are the consequence of the tragic alignment of a range of variables: a mechanical error arising from a recent service; not picked up because the pilot was too rushed to complete a pre-flight inspection; passenger eagerness to get to the destination meant flying into adverse weather conditions; all culminating not in an “accident”, but in what pilot’s call a “collision with terrain”.

Miriam Merten's death is a tragedy, but not an accident. It resulted from staff neglect, but it also resulted from system failure, it resulted from political failure. We would not tolerate understaffing, by inadequately qualified and under-trained staff, under reporting, and lack of preventative programs in other parts of the health system - why do we tolerate it in mental health units? 

How on Earth can we be in a circumstance where somebody is locked up more than a 100 times and it’s not ringing alarm bells? To have somebody locked up 100 times and to have nobody asking the right sort of questions about why this is happening, and what the alternatives could be, reflects the failures of our systems.

If the Air Transport Safety Bureau suspect a pilot was distracted by a message on an iPhone in an incident last week, the entire community of pilots across Australia know about it within a week.

And this reporting is not about witch hunts, it is about constantly improving the safety of flying, by improving the systems that support it. Everyone in the system is encouraged to report and reflect on failures so that the system can be improved, if possible, every time something goes wrong.

More people visit our mental health facilities than fly in light planes each week, and no one is there for fun. Where is this culture of quality, accountability and improvement in our mental health system?  Who looks over the whole system to analyse and comment on how failures can be avoided?

Until we develop a similar focus on quality, and ultimately safety of consumers and carers, and put in place the processes, accountabilities and most importantly the culture we need to achieve continuous improvement, we will continue to see tragedies like this.

Let’s not let Miriam Merten’s death be in vain.
 


Frank Quinlan
Chief Executive Officer


Open consultation: National Disability Insurance Scheme Code of Conduct

The Department of Social Services is currently consulting on a National Disability Insurance Scheme Code of Conduct which it advises will: 

  • empower people with disability in relation to their rights
  • outline expectations for providers and individual workers
  • shape the behaviour and culture of organisations
  • provide a mechanism to enforce consequences if workers and providers do not meet expectations.

The Department advises that the Code of Conduct will apply to providers and workers who are funded under the NDIS, regardless of whether they are registered or whether they receive funding through individual plans or contracted services. 

Mental Health Australia encourages its members and friends to participate in this consultation process through either completing the survey or providing a submission by 21 June 2017 via the Department’s website. A discussion paper, which explains the code of conduct is also available at the same link.

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Nataly Bovopoulos appointed as next CEO of Mental Health First Aid Australia

We'd like to congratulate Nataly Bovopoulos on her appointment by the Board of Mental Health First Aid Australia (MHFA) to lead the national non-for-profit organisation as their new CEO. This follows the personal decision of MHFA program founder Betty Kitchener AM to step down as CEO after 17 years of commitment to the program: founding, developing and disseminating the spread of Mental Health First Aid across Australia and internationally to over 20 countries.

Chair of the Board, Prof Tony Jorm said, “the Board concluded that Nataly's leadership skills and considerable experience in the mental health sector, along with her strong track record of success with the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Program as Deputy CEO, Company Secretary of the Board and most recently Acting CEO, made her the outstanding candidate for the role of CEO. In particular, Nataly has been instrumental in the continuing innovation, technological development and expansion of the MHFA Program over the last six years.”

It's great to see that Betty remains on the Board of Directors and as a consultant leading the development of the MHFA for the Older Person Course. Her work enabling communities in Australia and internationally to have the first aid skills to support people with mental health problems has and will continue to have a positive impact on so many lives.

We wish Nataly all the best in this important role, and recognise her achievements already, having been Acting CEO for the past 4 months.

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Next Week

On Tuesday I will be visiting Directions ACT's Arcadia House.

Then on Thursday I will be participating in a teleconference for the 11th Digital Mental Health Advisory Committee Meeting.

And on Friday I will be in Melbourne for the NDIAs CEO Forum.

 

Meet a Mental Health Australia Member

Carers Australia

Carers Australia is the national peak body representing Australia’s carers, advocating on behalf of Australia’s carers to influence policies and services at a national level. It works collaboratively with partners and its member organisations, the Network of state and territory Carers Associations, to deliver a range of essential national carer services.

Their vision is 'An Australia that values and supports the contribution that carers make both to the people they care for and to the community as a whole', and their purpose is 'We work to improve the health, wellbeing, resilience and financial security of carers and to ensure that caring is a shared responsibility of family, community and government.'

Registrations now open for the 7th International Carers Conference - Adelaide, 4-6 October

Early Bird registrations are now open for the 7th International Carers Conference, which aims to inspire delegates with high-profile national and international speakers, thought-provoking presentations, challenging debates, interactive workshops and a cutting-edge exhibition zone. Early Bird registrations close on 4 August 2017. Find out more about registration here.

Web - http://www.carersaustralia.com.au/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/carersaus
Twitter - https://twitter.com/@carersaustralia

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Become a Member of Mental Health Australia

As the peak body for the mental health sector in Australia, Mental Health Australia is uniquely placed to influence the national debate on mental health issues and achieve our vision of mentally healthy people and communities. Representing more than 100 organisations in the mental health sector, find out more about Membership at the link below.

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Parliamentary News

Budget-in-reply speech 2017

Opposition Leader, The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Budget-In-Reply Speech 2017.

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Unleashing potential in the disability employment sector

The Hon Jane Prentice MP, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services has reaffirmed the Australian Government’s commitment to help people with disability to get jobs with mainstream employers. Addressing stakeholders at the National Disability Services Annual Conference in Brisbane, the Assistant Minister outlined the Government’s $3 billion plan over the next four years to strengthen Disability Employment Services (DES) and associated services. "It is well-known that Australians with disability are under-represented in the workforce - however, employing people with disability can deliver a range of benefits for individuals and businesses," Mrs Prentice said.
 
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Significant new investment in mental health (TAS)

Minister for Health, Michael Ferguson, says improving our health system is a key priority of the Hodgman Liberal Government. "I am very pleased to announce that the upcoming state Budget will contain more than $16 million in additional funding for the mental health sector, over and above the $11.7 million additional investment in mental health in previous Hodgman Liberal Budgets. This new funding will be used for important community-sector services."
 
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$4 million for schizophrenia research (NSW)

People with schizophrenia will benefit from $4 million in State Government funding awarded to Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) for the prevention, improved treatments and research on a cure for the psychiatric disorder. Mental Health Minister Tanya Davies and Health Minister Brad Hazzard today announced the funding as part of Schizophrenia Awareness Week. The funding is over four years to support the work of the Chair in Schizophrenia Research at NeuRA, a leading brain and nervous system research institute at Randwick. "We greatly value the support the non-government sector provides to people and families living with mental illness," Mrs Davies said.

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Reminders

Call for content is now open for the National NDIS Mental Health Conference 

Do you have knowledge to share? Why not present at the National NDIS Mental Heath Conference being held 16-17 November 2017. You are invited to submit content to present at the conference by 23 June. All proposals will be considered, but organisers are especially looking to run sessions that are interactive and feature the voices of those with lived experience. View more about how to submit here.

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SANE national awareness campaign for Schizophrenia Awareness Week 2017

SANE has this week been running a national awareness campaign to coincide with Schizophrenia Awareness Week 2017, featuring the stories of an inspiring young woman Hannah living with schizophrenia and SANE Director, Osher Ginsberg (of The Bachelor fame and elsewhere). See all campaign materials at https://www.sane.org/schizophrenia 

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Online Support to Close Eating Disorder Gap

See new online resources for people in New South Wales living with, or at risk of developing an eating disorder, and their families and carers. Navigating Your Way to Health and Navigating Their Way to Health have been developed by the Hunter Institute of Mental Health in collaboration with the Centre for Eating and Dieting Disorders at the Boden Institute, University of Sydney, the Butterfly Foundation and people with lived experience. The resources include tips on how to access help throughout the eating disorder treatment process, navigate treatment options, and assist carers and friends with information on how to best support their loved one and understand the recovery journey.

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Online journal in The Lancet 'The Message of Mental Health'

A recent journal which may be of interest - Summary: One entirely avoidable and indefensible tragedy of the global response to non-communicable diseases has been its extraordinary failure to embrace mental health. Instead, advocates and international institutions, such as WHO, have preferred to emphasise the simple (and simplistic) message of “four-by-four”—four key diseases (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases) and four key risk factors (tobacco use, alcohol, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity). It is not that those who preside over global health today have been ignorant of the mental health crisis befalling our world.

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Ride For Jase: Cycling 18,000 km For Mental Health Awareness

Ben Woods will cycle 18,000 in 180 days, taking in Australia via all four points on the compass. In 2015, Ben’s brother Jase lost his battle with depression. The round-Australia ride is something Jase talked about accomplishing. Ben explains he will complete the route in Jase’s memory. As he completes the ride Ben will be raise funds and awareness in support of mental health and suicide prevention. Donations can be made at the Ride for Jase website.

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Registrations open for Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs and Harm Reduction: training for mental health workers

Registrations are open for training being held by the Mental Health Community Coalition of the ACT on 6 June 2017. This training, aimed at mental health workers, will present information about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) in the ACT and Australia. It will introduce participants to harm reduction approaches to use with clients, as well as information about the ACT AOD service system including referrals. Register via Eventbrite.

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