Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health welcomes the Australian Government’s response to the National Mental Health Commission’s Review of Mental Health Programmes and Services. In particular, we welcome the Government’s commitment to early intervention, improved care pathways for young people and national leadership in mental health.
Early and holistic interventions will provide an opportunity for the reforms to alleviate much of the burden of distress, premature mortality and wasted potential that mental illness imposes on the Australian community. Orygen believes the planned reforms will extend the benefits of long-term accessible, pre-emptive and integrated care evident in Australia’s successful and internationally emulated youth mental health reforms. The reforms aim to provide Australians with or at risk of mental ill-health with access to coordinated, flexible and responsive services that address their mental and physical health, accommodation, education and employment needs.
Although we await further details, Orygen supports the regionalised approach to the delivery of youth mental health services in order to provide more tailored care to young people. We are enthused about working with Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to ensure that the delivery of youth mental health services is supported by strong national leadership. As The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Orygen provides workforce development, research and evaluation and clinical innovation to the Australian youth mental health sector and we look forward to engaging with the 31 PHNs in these areas to further improve outcomes for young people and families.
Professor Patrick McGorry AO, Executive Director of Orygen says: ‘It is encouraging to see Minister Ley and the Australian Government emphasising mental health reforms that are “backed by evidence”. Orygen and our partners have led the world in developing innovative evidence-based models of care for young people and we look forward to working within the new Government framework to continue to provide evidence-based guidance and support in the development of Australia’s youth mental health system. It is incredibly important that we capitalise on the success of reforms such as headspace use this new direction to strengthen the care young people are receiving in the community.’
Orygen is also encouraged by the Government’s focus on an improved coordination of digital online services for mental health, an area of great potential benefit for young people. Australia leads the world in the development of innovative youth mental health services, whether delivered face-to-face or online. We look forward to working with partners to further develop the evidence-base for online interventions, noting that access to face-to-face mental health care must be provided to young people where it is the desired, or most evidence-based, approach to their mental health care needs.
Mr Peter Smedley, Chairman of Orygen says: ‘It is critical, as in all other areas of health, that all people with mental ill-health get access to the care and treatments that they need when they need them, and that the care that is available is the best care that we can provide.'