Rural Mental Health Workforce, a Policy Imperative: Yes or No?
Tracks
Ballroom 2
| Tuesday, October 16, 2018 |
| 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM |
Speaker
Professor Russell Roberts
Professor
Charles Sturt University
Rural Mental Health Workforce, a Policy Imperative: Yes or No?
Abstracts
Australia’s mental health sector is undergoing a period of rapid change and restructuring, reflecting international trends in the delivery of mental health services. Since 2015 Australia has seen new or amended mental health legislation or strategic plans in every state and territory. Each of these plans have significant rural workforce implications. Recent policy directions in mental health have emphasised a regional, collaborative approach to planning, resource allocation and service delivery. In addition, the increasing trend to commission non-government organisations to deliver mental health services and the shift to competitive tendering has seen a rise in the community managed workforce, and peer workers. Deinstitutionalisation has seen a corresponding increase in the largely unpaid carer workforce. The policy settings which guide the development of the rural mental health workforce in the midst of this changing landscape is key to its success or failure.
This presentation draws on a systematic descriptive policy review undertaken to synthesize the state of contemporary Australian mental health workforce policy, reviewing 8 state and territory policy documents, and 10 national level policy documents, including the recently released Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan and the Equally Well National Consensus Statement. Key themes and omissions are identified and the implications for the future of the rural mental health workforce development will be discussed.
Our analysis showed that while the rural mental health workforce is a key focus at the national level, it much less of a focus for the state and territories. Policy themes which directly or indirectly impact on the rural mental health workforce are also examined, such as the rise in focus on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce, which is disproportionately based in rural and regional Australia. Other national and state-wide policy initiatives will also disproportionately impact the rural mental health workforce, such as the introduction of e-health and tele-health initiatives. Despite the challenges these pose, rural and regional workforces may find their closer knit communities provide fertile ground for collaboration and community based interventions and supports.
This presentation draws on a systematic descriptive policy review undertaken to synthesize the state of contemporary Australian mental health workforce policy, reviewing 8 state and territory policy documents, and 10 national level policy documents, including the recently released Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan and the Equally Well National Consensus Statement. Key themes and omissions are identified and the implications for the future of the rural mental health workforce development will be discussed.
Our analysis showed that while the rural mental health workforce is a key focus at the national level, it much less of a focus for the state and territories. Policy themes which directly or indirectly impact on the rural mental health workforce are also examined, such as the rise in focus on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce, which is disproportionately based in rural and regional Australia. Other national and state-wide policy initiatives will also disproportionately impact the rural mental health workforce, such as the introduction of e-health and tele-health initiatives. Despite the challenges these pose, rural and regional workforces may find their closer knit communities provide fertile ground for collaboration and community based interventions and supports.
Biography
Dr Russell Roberts is Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, Department of Rural Health. Living in Orange, NSW has previously served as Director of Mental Health in Western NSW, on the NSW Mental Health Commission Advisory Council, as Director of Clinical Training at Griffith University Qld, and as a Clinical Psychologist in rural South Australia. He is a board member of the Australia and New Zealand Mental Health Association, the Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal of Rural Health and Chair of the Equally Well National Committee.
*Program is subject to change
