In November 2004 the State Government announced funding
of $47 m over three years to improve mental health services
in Tasmania.
This was the result of ‘Bridging
the Gap’,
a Department of Health and Human Services review of services
provided to mental health consumers in Tasmania.
The three
main areas identified for development were :
- Improving
the quality and safety of services;
- Developing non government services including supported
accommodation services, recovery programs and packages
of care for clients living in their own home throughout
the
state;
- Strengthening clinical resources in the community with
a focus on child and adolescent teams.
Many of the service
needs identified in the review have been partially or fully
implemented. These include:
- 62 packages
of care available to support clients to live in the
community;
- 12 bed cluster houses for supported accommodation
completed in the South
- 12 bed cluster home under construction in Ulverstone,
in the North West
- Rehabilitation based Recovery Programs in
the north to provide activity, social and vocational
skills programs
to support
consumer recovery (southern and north western services
will be opened in early 2006)
- More than doubling the number of
clinical positions in Child & Adolescent
Mental Health Services (26 FTE staff)
- Increase clinical positions
in adult mental health services by over 20% (16FTE
positions);
- an additional 6FTE clinical
positions to work with older mental health clients;
- ongoing upgrading of existing mental
health and non-government organisation’s facilities & services.
- Employment
of Quality and Safety officers at a state and regional
level
- Establishment of a Family Perinatal Service
to provide inpatient care to mothers with a diagnosed
mental illness,
and their
babies
- Development of a Mental
Health Service Reform process
- Improved
administration of the Mental Health Act
- Establishment
of a Workforce Innovation & Development
unit to support workforce
Services to be developed over the next two years include:
- a 12 bed high support community facility in Launceston;
- redevelopment
of x house at Longford, to provide supported accommodation
More details on the funded initiatives can be found in the
Press
Release.
The latest information on the Project is
in Mainly Mental Health. Or contact Carolyn Norrie, Senior
Marketing Consultant,
at Mental Health Services on
6230 7719 or carolyn.norrie@dhhs.tas.gov.au.
