Mental Health Coordinating Council has joined an alliance of peak bodies representing mental health workers, consumers and carers across New South Wales, to call for urgent reform and investment in mental health services and champion system reform and redesign for the incoming NSW government.
Following the NSW State of Mental Health survey conducted earlier in the year with over 1,300 mental health practitioners including community workers, peer workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, GPs, and carers, a new report from the alliance, The NSW mental health care system on the brink: Evidence from the frontline, reveals the critical issues in the state’s mental health system that need urgent government attention.
Productivity Commission data shows NSW has the lowest spend per capita for mental health in 2020-21, a gap set to widen with recent commitments from Queensland and Victoria to bolster the sector.
The alliance is urging all political parties for a commitment to the following:
A joint statement from CEOs and leaders of the alliance members has been issued to urge the government and opposition to act on the above commitments.
See the joint statement See the expert comments
Watch the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists NSW Election virtual candidates forum held on Thursday 16 March 2023.
This interactive online event was an opportunity to hear directly from NSW political parties about their plans for the mental health system in the lead-up to the NSW Election on 25 March 2023. Participants also had the opportunity to provide direct feedback on their views and to hear from experts from RANZCP and other organisations.
Mental Health Coordinating Council has also submitted a report to Members of Parliament to advocate for greater investment to support community-managed mental health.
See our four key recommendations in the report Shifting the Balance: Investment priorities for mental health in NSW.