COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH REVIEW

Recently PSA Industrial Officers Ian Peak and Sue Cummins, with Worksite Representative Peter O'Connell met with the Department of Health, Director Mental Health Operations, Mr Derek Wright, to discuss the planned Community Mental Health Review.  This review is being undertaken as part of the outcome of the Social Inclusion Boards recommendation on a new Stepped Model of Care that places community mental health in the centre.

The PSA raised concerns about the lack of information and consultation regarding this review and the fact that there was no Industrial Forum for statewide mental health strategies to be discussed, except for the Department of Health Industrial Liaison Forum that only has mental health as an agenda item. Agreement was reached to set up a specific mental health industrial forum in the New Year.

The External Reviewer is Dr Margaret Honeyman, Clinical Director at Waitemata Department of Health Board in New Zealand.  Dr Honeyman is being supported by a team of internal experts from a number of mental health disciplines.  The Terms of Reference for this review are:

• The design of a clinical system that effectively integrates inpatient and community care;

• Within this integrated system, the role of each element will be defined, so that accountability for service provision is clear within the system;

• A design that will deliver best practice and meet national benchmarks;

• Strategies to provide for consistency in procedure and practice, and ensure coordinated care across programs, services and sectors;

• Identification of the critical infrastructure requirements to enable sustainability of safe quality care and responsiveness to emerging need;

• Organisational design and strategies to improve partnership arrangements in care delivery with key partners such as general practitioners, non-government agencies and the police, and;

• Guidance in building and sustaining a workforce that can respond to new service options and changing needs of key stakeholder groups.

In addition to the above advice, the following should be delivered:

• A broad high level service description of each element in a new system of care and the interface between the elements, and

• A description of future steps required to complete a set of workable Operational Guidelines for community mental health to guide future service planning and operations.

There will be full consultation on the recommendations from the review.

PSA members are urged to participate in this review when the Review Team visits the various worksites this week.

A PSA delegation has been invited to participate in a meeting with the Review Team with the other major unions SASMOA and the ANF on Friday 16 November 2007, at 1.30 pm. 

If you have any queries please contact Industrial Officer, Sue Cummins on 8205 3260 or email sc@cpsu.asn.au

PSA/CPSU WORKING FOR MEMBERS