Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, will lead a consortium that will develop and deliver mental health services to young people with, or at risk of, severe mental illness, it was announced today.
The services, commissioned by the North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN), will support young people aged 12-25 who have complex mental health needs and live in Macedon Ranges, Sunbury, Melton and Bacchus Marsh.
The services will be delivered through the consortium members: Cobaw Community Health Services, Sunbury Community Health Centre, Djerriwarrh Health Services, Orygen Youth Health, Odyssey House Victoria, and the Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS).
Orygen’s director of clinical programs, Liz Burgat, said there would be consultation with local health services, stakeholders and young people, to tailor services that best meet the needs of young people in each area.
“We look forward to drawing on our internationally and nationally recognised expertise in youth mental health to work closely and collaboratively with our consortium partners, the NWMPHN, local services and families in the north of Melbourne to urgently address the needs of young people who require a more complex level of mental health care,” Ms Burgat said.
“This Orygen-led consortium is well-placed to build on our local service expertise in this region of Melbourne and provide resources for what we call ‘the missing middle’, those young people who require more support than is available at the current primary health care level, but who are unable or not eligible to access more specialised and acute mental health services.”
Severe mental illness can include psychosis, major depression, severe anxiety, eating disorders and personality disorders. Many young people with complex mental ill-health often have experiences of homelessness, family violence and poor social supports. For young people aged 12-25 years, this can be exacerbated by a lack of access to appropriate treatment or a reluctance to seek help from mainstream services.
“The model of care the consortium will be implementing will connect, coordinate and deliver specialist mental health services, improving access, quality and experience for young people and families,” Ms Burgat said.
“Orygen has more than 25 years’ experience in designing, providing and scaling-up mental health service models for young people with complex mental health needs in the north of Melbourne,” Ms Burgat said
“Our experience, coupled with the quality and effectiveness of the consortium’s clinical services and local expertise will ensure that ‘the missing middle’, young people with, or at risk of, severe mental illness, and their families, will be provided with the seamless, comprehensive, and specialist care they deserve.”