‘Broken promises and missing steps in mental health reform’ published in Medical Journal of Australi

‘Broken promises and missing steps in mental health reform’ published in Medical Journal of Australia

19 June 2017

‘Broken promises and missing steps in mental health reform’ published in Medical Journal of Australi

Although Australia has made progress in improving both awareness of mental health and access to primary mental health care services access to and quality of mental health care still compares very poorly with that provided for other major non-communicable diseases of similar or lesser impact.

Orygen’s Executive Director, Professor Patrick McGorry AO and Lead, Health economics work-stream, Matthew Hamillton have jointly written an editorial published in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia titled “Broken promises and missing steps in mental health reform” which discusses the disconnect between the treatment of mental and physical health and the failure to successfully integrate mental health within the mainstream of health care.

The article highlights opportunities to address slowing growth in public investment in mental health care with new measures to re-energise mental health reform. In particular, the authors argue for State and Federal governments to co-invest in developing and implementing a seamless model for those in the ‘missing middle’ whose needs are too complex for primary care responses but who cannot currently access specialist mental health services.

Read the full editorial here or listen to Professor Patrick McGorry discuss the editorial in a podcast with the Medical Journal of Australia.