In 2023, the NSW Government commissioned the NSW Community Mental Health Services Priority Issues Paper – 2023 (Gap Analysis Report), to analyse NSW community mental health services, identify key priorities and provide direction for the NSW health system.
The NSW Mental Health Alliance, of which BEING is a member, has long been lobbying for the government to release the full detail from the NSW Gap Analysis. Last Friday, the NSW Government released what they say is the remaining information. But there’s a problem. The report de-identifies Local Health Districts and only benchmarks them against the state average,not against need. So we can see there’s a problem, we just can’t see where it is.
Today BEING – Mental Health Consumers and Mental Health Carers NSW issued a joint statement calling on full disclosure of the Gap Analysis. BEING CEO Giancarlo de Vera spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald saying:
“We know there are massive gaps. We need to know where they are, who’s affected and how much it will cost to fix, so the problem doesn’t get bigger. District-level data should be published transparently and regularly for every region in Australia so we can find local solutions to local problems.”
Impending changes to the NDIS make addressing this even more urgent. On 1 October, NDIS changes will reduce or cut supports for many people with psychosocial disability, many of whom have no state-based alternative for foundational psychosocial support waiting for them. So not being able to properly see where the greatest need exists is a problem for NSW especially when NSW has the 2nd highest unmet demand for psychosocial support in the country.
Transparent, district-level data should be a condition of the next National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement for all of Australia.
Click here to read the joint statement.
Click here to read the article in today’s SMH (Note: SMH content is behind a paywall.)