The following is a message from David Crosbie, CEO, Mental Health Council of Australia:
The Australian Health Ministers’ Conference ... reaffirmed its commitment to improving the mental health and wellbeing of all Australians, recognising that one in five Australians continue to experience a mental illness in a given year.
[H]ealth ministers publicly released the Fourth National Mental Health Plan: an agenda for collaborative government action in mental health 2009-2014.
The Plan has five priority areas for government action in mental health:
- Social inclusion and recovery;
- Prevention and early intervention;
- Service access, coordination and continuity of care;
- Quality improvement and innovation; and
- Accountability - measuring and reporting progress.
While led by health ministers, the Plan takes a whole of government approach. This approach acknowledges that the best mental health outcomes are achieved through a partnership involving sectors other than just health.
The Plan is ambitious in its approach and for the first time includes a robust accountability framework. Each year, governments will report progress on implementation of the Plan to the Council of Australian Governments.
It will be interesting to monitor the implementation of the ‘robust accountability framework’.
David Crosbie
CEO, Mental Health Council of Australia
Alia House, Level 1, 9 – 11 Napier Close
DEAKIN ACT 2600
Ph: 61 2 6285 3100 Mob: 0419 624420
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