APS response to the Inquiry into Outpatient and Community Mental Health Care in NSW

This submission is in response to the Inquiry into equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in NSW. Our feedback highlights that certain subsections of the NSW community do not appear to have equitable access to necessary services. We recommend:

• That the Inquiry examine pathways external to the justice system to increase equity of access to outpatient mental health services for adults and young people and explore structures that support treatment of co-morbidity in forensic populations.
• That the Inquiry examines options to strengthen additional support for forensic populations to navigate mental health services and explore amendments to the Health Privacy Principles.
• Increased outreach mental health services options in rural, regional, and remote NSW, including funding to be provided to improve access to psychologists through educational pathways. 
• That the Inquiry explore options to embed appropriately trained professionals within mental health services along with the adequacy of existing training programs. 
• That the Inquiry investigate options to improve staffing in community mental health centres.
• All community and outreach mental health services have the capacity to offer efficient and effective online and telehealth services. 
• That the Inquiry considers the intersectionality of disadvantage as being integral to proposed solutions to improving equity of access to mental health services.
• Training for community mental health workers to increase sensitivity to the needs of families who may be unable to continue to provide care and support.
• Training for case managers in community mental health centres in drug and alcohol treatment strategies.
• Prioritisation of funding and educational pathways to ensure suitably trained psychologists are available in all community mental health facilities.

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