The Victorian Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge has released a consultation paper to drive the reform of Victoria's community-based mental health services.

 

Ms Wooldridge said that consultation on the Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Support Services Reform Framework was the first stage of  the reform program.

 

"The Victorian Coalition Government currently invests more than $100 million each year in community-based mental health care, assisting more than 12,500 people," Ms Wooldridge said.

 

"Victoria has a diverse and vibrant community-managed mental health sector, which we see as an increasingly vital part of the mental health system. However, the way this sector is configured, funded and integrated into a broader service system needs significant reform.

 

"We want to better support people with a severe mental illness to manage their own mental health and make choices about their support, in partnership with services.

 

"The needs of people with a severe mental illness and their families have been central to the development of this reform framework."

 

Ms Wooldridge said the government planned to build a stronger system in which long-term recovery and support for overall health and wellbeing and social and economic participation were seen as key objectives alongside clinical treatment.

 

"We also want state-funded rehabilitation and support services to operate as a more integral and connected part of Victoria's broader health and human services system," Ms Wooldridge said.

 

The key goals of the reforms are to:

  • improve equity of access and ensure services are easy to navigate across the state
  • provide high quality services that are person-centred and focus on improving social participation, physical health and employment and education outcomes
  • strengthen the capacity of services to respond to the needs of people with a mental illness and their families, and
  • better co-ordinate care by improving planning and collaboration between and across community-managed mental health, specialist clinical mental health and local health and social support services.

 

Ms Wooldridge said the Government would work closely with the sector on the reform. "Earlier this year, the sector's peak body VICSERV called for reform and the Coalition Government looks forward to working in partnership with them to drive and implement these much-needed changes," she said.

 

The paper is available at www.health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealth/reformstrategy/index.htm

Written submissions can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 22 June 2012.