Table 2 Application of policy levers to reform priority areas across the NMHS 1992-2012
From: An analysis of policy levers used to implement mental health reform in Australia 1992-2012
Organisation | Regulation | Community education | Finance | Payment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Plan (1993-98) | SS | HR&CA | HR&CA | SQ&E | |
Mainstream mental health service management | Review consumer rights and responsibilities | National Community Awareness Program | Separate budget for mental health | ||
SS | HR&CA | R&SA | |||
Shift acute beds to general hospitals | Review mental health and anti-discrimination legislation | Increase recurrent mental health spending | |||
RCN | SS | R&SA | |||
Formalise consumer/carer consultation | Remove cross-border transfer anomalies | Increase community-based and general hospital funding | |||
SS | SQ&E | R&SA | |||
Case Management system | National Mental Health Information strategy and National Minimum Dataset | Review Medicare Agreements | |||
SS | SQ&E | ||||
Increase ambulatory workforce | Independent evaluation steering committee and National Mental Health Commission | ||||
SQ&E | |||||
Annual National Mental Health Reports | |||||
SS | |||||
Review interagency protocols to support continuity of care | |||||
Second Plan (1998-2003) | SS | SQ&E | HR&CA | SS | SS |
Shift acute beds to general hospitals | National Standards for Mental Health Services | Review media portrayal of mental illness | Redirect funds released from deinstitutionalisation towards community-based services | New funding models to improve referral links between primary and secondary providers | |
RCN | SS | HR&CA | SS | ||
Formalise consumer/carer consultation | Review interagency protocols to support continuity of care | Mental health education in schools | Review Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) items and introduce new MBS items to support referral between health practitioners | ||
SS | SQ&E | HR&CA | R&SA | R&SA | |
Grow 24-h staffed community based residential services | New outcome measures | Mental health training for health professionals, in particular frontline workers | Review allocations under the general health budget for Federal and State/Territory Governments | Specialised funding models for rural and regional populations | |
R&SA | |||||
Increase treatment rates for mild and moderate mental illness | |||||
R&SA | |||||
Improve mental health curricula for Indigenous health workforce | |||||
R&SA | |||||
Specialist youth early intervention centres (e.g. Headspace, Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centres (EPPIC) | |||||
R&SA | |||||
Specialised service models for special needs populations | |||||
Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Action Plan (2006) | R&SA | SQ&E | R&SA | R&SA | |
24-h 7 day mental health telephone service | COAG Mental Health Groups in each jurisdiction | Review mental health content in tertiary health degrees | Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program | ||
R&SA | SQ&E | HR&CA | R&SA | ||
Increase web-based mental health resources | Publish official Progress reports annually | Mental health training for health professionals, in particular frontline workers | Flexible employment schemes and funding models for rural and regional areas | ||
SS | SS | ||||
Consolidate youth mentoring and early intervention programs into a single program | Review existing MBS items and introduce new MBS items to support referral between health practitioners | ||||
R&SA | |||||
New youth early intervention projects | |||||
RCN | |||||
Family Mental Health Support Service | |||||
RCN | |||||
Increase mental health respite services for carers | |||||
R&SA | |||||
Step-up and step-down community facilities | |||||
ISS | |||||
Community Coordinators | |||||
SS | |||||
Increase day-to-day living support programs and Personal Support program | |||||
RCN | |||||
Increase Personal Helpers and Mentors service | |||||
SS | |||||
Disability Employment Services group | |||||
R&SA | |||||
Increase supported places in University mental health degrees, particularly to Indigenous students | |||||
R&SA | |||||
Increase Indigenous health workforce | |||||
R&SA | |||||
Additional funding to drug and alcohol service providers | |||||
2011-12 Budget | SS | SQ&E | R&SA | R&SA | |
Care Facilitator scheme | National Mental Health Commission | National Funding Pool for States/Territories | Reduce Medicare rebate for General Practitioner mental health plans and introduce tiered rebate system | ||
RCN | SQ&E | R&SA | |||
Additional Personal Helpers and Mentors and places in Family Mental Health Support Services | Fund research into improving data sets and performance accountability | Reduce annual number of rebated consultations with allied psychological services | |||
R&SA | SQ&E | R&SA | |||
E-health portal for mental health | Annual Report Card on mental health reform | Expand Access to Allied Psychological Services scheme | |||
R&SA | SQ&E | SS | |||
Additional Headspace and EPPIC sites | Australian Early Development Index tool and an expert group in child mental health | Review wage-subsidy schemes and Disability Support Pension | |||
R&SA | SS | ||||
Routine Health and Wellbeing checks for 3 year olds | National Partnership Agreements and new Service Planning Framework | ||||
RCN | |||||
National Mental Health Consumer Body |