$111 million boost to kick-start mental health reform

Victorians with a mental illness will benefit from a new focus on prevention, early intervention and recovery, with the Brumby Labor Government today announcing $111 million over the next four years to begin implementing a new mental health reform strategy.

Victoria’s first Mental Health Minister, Lisa Neville, said the Brumby Labor Government was taking action to reform mental health in Victoria and deliver quality health services for Victorian families.

“Victorian families need a system that spots the warning signs of mental illness, intervenes early, and focuses on helping patients recover – not a system that waits until a crisis erupts and results in a long stay in hospital,” Ms Neville said.

“To deliver a more responsive mental health system, we will launch the Mental Health Reform Strategy in late 2008, but we are kick-starting the reform through early investments in today’s Budget.

“There is a particular focus on children and young people, because we know we can often prevent a lifetime of mental illness if we act as soon as we spot the first signs of trouble.”

Ms Neville said the massive funding boost announced in the Budget was one of the biggest in Victorian history for mental health, and included major new initiatives such as:

• $16.8 million over four years for new integrated children and youth services, and family support, to help prevent the onset of mental illness in young people before conditions become chronic;
• $10.4 million over four years towards a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week statewide mental health information and referral service for Victorian families, similar to Nurse on Call; and
• $5.5 million over four years for a trial of a new mental health triage service to ensure patients were quickly directed to the most appropriate service.

The Brumby Labor Government is also providing $6.6 million over four years to match anticipated Commonwealth funding for new screening initiatives for mothers at risk of post-natal depression.

Housing Minister Richard Wynne said an $8.7 million four-year leading-edge program would address the link between mental illness and homelessness by developing individual packages for the chronically homeless to address mental health needs while providing accommodation.

"The link between homelessness and mental illness is well-known and this model will help us to treat both conditions together,” Mr Wynne said.

“If we can address the link between homelessness and mental illness, we will go a long way towards helping people overcome their mental health issues and helping them live in secure permanent homes."

Ms Neville said the budget also acted to boost the capacity of the mental health system.

“Funding of $39.1 million will be committed to build and staff new Prevention and Recovery Care Services (PARCS) facilities to provide places for patients who are not sick enough for hospital but not yet well enough to go home,” Ms Neville said.

“This stage of the project will provide 30 new beds in three new community-based facilities in Ringwood, Clayton and Frankston, delivering the 2006 Labor commitment to the development of 70 new PARCS beds in Victoria.”

Other 2008-09 State Budget mental health initiatives include:

• $15.5 million for works at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, including the Centre for Trauma-Related Mental Health Services. The Centre is a redevelopment of the Veterans' Psychiatry Unit and will provide a 20-bed unit for inpatients and outpatients, treating veterans and non-veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders and major mood disorders;
• $5.5 million has been provided to reconfigure the mental health Adult Acute Unit at Ballarat Hospital to improve access and client amenity and to refurbish Ballarat’s Queen Victoria building to accommodate Community Mental Health facilities; and
• $3 million has been provided to Dandenong Hospital to progress the detailed planning of the proposed redevelopment and expansion of mental health facilities which will increase beds from 77 to 150. The Dandenong expansion will include additional adult acute, secure extended care, aged acute and residential care beds.

The package also includes $8.3 million over four years for mental health services at Maroondah and Lilydale and to address additional demand pressure in public hospitals, and approximately $600,000 annually to stabilise eating disorder services while a comprehensive review is undertaken.

“The Brumby Labor Government is taking action to deliver mental health reform in Victoria, making this state the world leader in the prevention, detection and treatment of mental illness,” Ms Neville said.

Ms Neville said the 2008-09 State Budget also included $6.5 million in additional support for Government hospitals to meet changing mental health demands in the community.