Every year, tens of thousands of Tasmanians live in mental health distress. Their personal suffering causes them social and financial impacts, and their families and communities are strongly affected. Without the right personal care, a stressful event can send a person quickly into mental health crisis and sometimes self-harming behaviour. The failure of the hospital system for people in mental health crisis has revealed the failure of the Liberals to properly fund mental health services across all sectors in Tasmania.
The Greens will focus additional funding back into community-led recovery services, in combination with clinical support, and with the patient’s interests at the centre.
We will commit an additional $11M over four years to establish community healing hubs, and to make sure people in distress know their pathway to recovery and have a caring place to go. These will be a partnership between state, local council and community organisations, and will provide short-term accommodation and expert support in a creative community environment.
We will end the merry-go-round between services, and establish an Integrated Care body to truly integrate the work of public, private, clinical and community mental health services. We will eliminate service gaps and duplications, implement a shared and consistent records management system, and coordinate all funding through one body.
Too many people with mental health needs are thrust into a complex system at the wrong place, or only when their symptoms have put them at crisis level. We will create a Mental Health Services Guide to help people navigate the system and access appropriate treatment and support.
We will invest resources to support the carers of people with mental health, and to build on the successes of involving people with mental health as peer workers across all services.
Only the Greens understand the importance of community in tackling Tasmania’s mental health crisis.
Download policy …Mental_Wellness_A_Path_to_Recovery.pdf
Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens’ Leader 1 March 2018
