MEDICUS MARCH 2016

intervention for children and young people and commissioning of services to support a broader group of young people with or at risk of mental illness; • A regional approach to suicide prevention, including community-based activities and integrated post discharge care for people at high risk of suicide; and

• Strategies to target services to people in rural and remote areas and other hard-to-reach and at-risk populations. Where’s the money? The funding allocation for the State and Territory PHNs has not yet been advised and is expected soon. It is anticipated that funding will be allocated on the basis of local need, with particular emphasis on regionality. WAPHA considers this to be a positive response to WA’s unique needs. WAPHA and the WA Country PHN are establishing a clear base of evidence on which to identify the services gaps and particular challenges that exist in WA’s remote and regional areas. Planning and commissioning of the services that mitigate these gaps is a high priority. The funding pool is a rolled up, flexible capability fund that will transition through to PHNs. By 2018/19 there will be $380 million per annum available in this national fund. In the first year from 1 July 2016, $350 million is available nationally. This is not new money. PHNs will have the flexibility to use the funding in response to local needs. The flexibility aspect means that current funding limitations are intended to be de-boundaried. The flexible pool will be specifically for mental health and suicide prevention, and will be

quarantined from other PHN funding.

Health has allocated additional funding to WAPHA to strengthen its mental health workforce capacity to respond to the task ahead. This funding will also be directed towards achieving a sophisticated level of needs identification in respect to primary mental health services in WA. The mental health ‘Needs Assessment’ will facilitate identification and analysis of mental health and service needs within our regions and prioritise activity to address those needs. Who are we collaborating with? Already, the WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) has been working closely with the WA Mental Health Commission and local Area Health Services to ensure that the planning and commissioning of primary mental health services is aligned, where possible, with those of State agencies. The rationale for this partnership approach is to avoid duplication of services and co-ordinate a locally responsive, evidence-based approach that achieves demonstrated quality primary mental healthcare outcomes for our patients. Clinician engagement has been a central focus of WAPHA’s approach to managing the Commonwealth’s

The pooling of flexible funding at regional levels, commissioned by PHNs, will give people the type of care they need at the time they need. PHNs will have the flexibility to use this funding to commission more locally appropriate services that are suited to local needs within a stepped care model. It is important to highlight that the PHNs’ commissioning of services has a needs identification and assessment process that is evidence based, transparent and is underpinned by a robust engagement strategy that includes clinicians, State Government and key stakeholder groups. Additional funding of $85 million will be allocated to Indigenous mental health over three years. Given the poor outcomes for WA’s Aboriginal population, particularly young men in rural and remote locations, this was a very welcome announcement. WA’s PHNs will prioritise and direct their allocation of this funding to increasing access to much-needed culturally sensitive mental health services for Aboriginal people.

The Commonwealth Department of

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