Open Minds’ Post

Some of you may be aware there is intent to transition some Aboriginal funding currently commissioned through PHNs directly to Aboriginal Community Control. It includes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Services and the Integrated Team Care (Chronic Disease Care Coordination) Program. Consultations were undertaken by Ninti One Limited, in partnership with First Nations Co through 2023 and the final report for the Independent review of sector funding arrangements and service provider capability for First Nations Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Services and the Integrated Team Care Program has been published on the DoHAC website. The page also contains links to summaries of consultations that were undertaken with stakeholders and community members throughout the Review. We are interested to see how Government and PHNs respond to support an Aboriginal led approach #CommunityControl #SelfDetermination https://lnkd.in/gUrzzbzP

The overall costs of mental ill health equate to double the NHS's entire budget in England in 2022 (£153bn). Focusing on prevention and improving the mental health provision for young people, as outlined in yesterday's King's Speech, is a good place for the new Government to start.    As we've always said, prevention and early intervention are key to supporting the mental health of the nation, and we look forward to working with the government on this and other measures. #kingsspeech #mentalhealth #healthprovision #onebright #prevention #earlyintervention

The number of UK road deaths in 2019 was 1,752. The number of #suicides in 2019 was 5,691. In both cases that's thousands of individuals and families with an unparalleled tragedy touching their lives. It's #WorldSuicidePreventionDay on the 10th September 2023 so I've been thinking about how much attention, effort and money (road design, traffic enforcement cameras, signage, policing, education and traffic calming) that goes into reducing road deaths because of the how visible and obvious road traffic incidents are... Just think how more suffering could be alleviated and lives saved if good mental health and suicide prevention was just as visible and embedded into our culture on a daily basis! We all have our part to play and we spend the largest amount of time at work and with colleagues. It seems obvious that the workplace is the most important place for these initiatives to be offered. I'd like to suggest that you set aside some time to think about what is available to you and those around you within work, how much awareness there is of the tools and support there is in place so when people actually need it, they USE IT. - Do you have a culture that allows people to bring their whole self to work? - Do colleagues feel they can talk openly if they are struggling? - Do have suitably trained appropriate people that colleagues know they can approach? - Do you have policies in place to support people that go beyond the bare minimum? - Do your people understand about common mental health conditions? If you'd like to review where your organisation is at currently or learn about what training is available to support your people (from Mental Health First Aid to Resilience, Mental Health Awareness and lots more), then don't hesitate to drop me a line here!

It was wonderful to attend the Victorian Ministerial roundtable on working with people who use family violence today. Hosted by NTV and attended by Minister Vicki Ward and Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s behaviour change Tim Richardson. Thank you also to Amber Griffiths and Jo Pride for their leadership from Family Safety Victoria. I left with a sense of deep alignment with my colleagues - We can make a change. People can change their behavior with the right support. We are really beginning to have the necessary deep conversations around what does trauma capable therapeutic work look like. We understand that people who are using violence can and often have been victims of abuse especially in their childhoods. Trauma, particularly childhood trauma damages attachment relationships and changes the human brain - rewires us to always view relationships as unsafe. But leaning into the extensive experience in the trauma recovery sector means we have extensive experience and evidence to bring to supporting these clients. The men’s support service understands that we need to use appropriate empathy, boundaried unconditional positive regard and therapeutic relationships to enable change. We need flexible, graduated responses that can be scaled up and down as required. We can’t talk about risk without meeting needs. And finally such clarity that real community safety comes from de stigmatising men’s wellbeing. Wellbeing is what drives safety. Well people don’t hurt the people they love. Mostly I was grateful to be part of such a deeply passionate sector. We are a force for change and are ready to do what we need to, work with those who need to it most to keep every man, woman and child safe. #purposefulpractice. #traumacapable #socialchange.

Hey! Life's a ride, and it's okay not to have it all together. That's where our Clinician Led Community Response Team comes in – your support during rough patches. Whether you're overwhelmed or a youth facing challenges, we've got your back. 🤝 In crisis, you deserve effective and compassionate care. Our team of clinicians and peers is ready for face-to-face interventions because everyone deserves respect on their mental health journey. Worried about costs? No need! Our Clinically Led Community Response is entirely free. Seeking help shouldn't break the bank. We're different – no law enforcement, no ER visits, just help a call away. Where you are – home or community. You're not alone. If anxiety or distress hits, we're here. Your well-being is our priority. 🌺 Need a lifeline? Call 911 and ask for the Clinician Led Community Response Team (CLCR). Let's journey to well-being together. 💙 #MentalHealthMatters #SupportForAll #CLCR #YouAreNotAlone

We are happy to provide you with a guide that explores the intersection of healthcare and business in substance abuse and mental health treatment, offering insights for professionals in the field. It covers the importance of timely intervention, outlines various program options (private, nonprofit, government-funded), and discusses organizational structures, the admissions process, and levels of care. Furthermore, it highlights the significance of funding and resources, as proposed by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for 2024, to address these public health issues effectively amidst a highly competitive industry landscape. Check out our latest blog post for an in-depth understanding and guide: https://lnkd.in/eFxZT7ns #MentalHealth #SubstanceAbuse #BusinessKnowledge #Healthcare #MentalHealthAwareness #HealthcareBusiness #SubstanceAbuseTreatment #MentalHealthTreatment #BlogPost #HealthcareLeadership #BusinessInsights #PublicHealth

In order to address the national epidemic of veteran suicide, DAV’s critical policy goal to bolster mental health resources and ensure a reduction in veteran suicides can be achieved through multiple steps by the VA: 1. Examining factors that prevent veteran suicide and the relationship of benefits usage 2. Appropriately fund the VA’s lethal-means safety campaign 3. Improve tailoring of prevention and intervention services towards veteran subpopulations. 4. Increase staffing levels of VA mental health providers 5. Improve clinical competence of providers in VA community care networks Learn more about DAV’s critical policy goals at http://dav.la/CPG2024.

From 1 April 2024, the scope of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission (MHWC) will extend to include all mental health matters occurring within emergency departments (EDs) at Victorian Designated Mental Health Services (DMHS). This means that Victorians presenting at EDs at a DMHS will have stronger safeguards and human rights protections for potentially harmful experiences – such as restrictive interventions. Mental health consumers, carers, families and supporters who have concerns about their experiences in a DMHS ED will be able to contact the MHWC to make a complaint about that service. These changes also mean that all instances of restrictive interventions related to people seeking mental health treatment in EDs at DMHS must be reported to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist (OCP). These measures will result in a more comprehensive approach to monitoring, evaluating, and improving mental health services in EDs. While this measure is a step forward, it will only impact EDs in approximately one in four public health services in Victoria. The MHWC welcomes the expansion and encourages the government to consider whether these reforms should go a step further to ensure no one slips through the gaps. For further information visit https://ow.ly/w7w650R2SBP #MentalHealth #MentalHealthReform #MentalHealthandWellbeing #MentalHealthandWellbeingAwareness #MHWC

Have a read of our latest article by Max Duddles!

It's National Primary Care Week! Through our public policy priority addressing access to care and services, we focus on workforce expansion, since there’s a critical shortage of behavioral health providers in the U.S. When accounting for the entire country: 🧠 88% of counties are considered a mental health professional shortage area 🧠 0.05% of counties are considered to have no provider shortage county-wide Put another way, over a third of the U.S. population lives in an area with a shortage of behavioral health professionals, and nearly two-thirds of shortage areas are rural. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eUJaSSzV