WA Health Authority commended on mental health initiatives

7/6/95

Health Minister Graham Kierath today congratulated the Western Australian Health Authority on its many initiatives to improve the delivery of mental health services in the area.

"The WA Health Authority is committed to providing a broad range of mental health services for its population of just over 113,000," Mr Kierath said.

"The current budget for community mental health services in the authority is $1.2 million and a large percentage of these funds is directed towards expanding mental health services in the Wheatbelt area.

"The primary focus of the authority's development of services has been the purchase of locally-based mental health services wherever possible."

Mental health services purchased by the authority during the 1994-95 financial year include:

·       new local services in the Murchison, including a community mental health nurse and Aboriginal mental health worker based in Meekatharra;

·       new visiting clinical psychology sessions to the Exmouth and Onslow communities on a monthly basis;

·       the Western Health Service has a second community mental health nurse who will be based in Gingin;

·       the Eastern and Central Wheatbelt areas have an additional community mental health nurse based in Merredin;

·       new clinical psychology services in the Avon will provide a visiting service to Moora and Merredin;

·       additional visiting occupational therapy services have been purchased for the Western and Eastern Wheatbelt areas, located in Moora and Merredin;

·       additional sessions from the visiting consultant psychiatrist have been purchased for Northam;

·       new community mental health nursing services based in Dongara/Geraldton for the Mid-West area;

·       the development of a program in mental health prevention and promotion resulting in two mental health promotion positions being purchased, located in Geraldton and Northam;

·       two additional prevention programs purchased from the Wheatbelt Public Health Unit; and -

·       a short-term accommodation project officer for the Geraldton Mental Health Unit will investigate the accommodation needs of mentally ill people.

"The Western Health Authority has made increasing the community's access to direct clinical mental health services its priority," Mr Kierath said.

"While it is to be congratulated for the inroads it has made into this area during 1994-95, the authority recognises that there are service gaps which need to be filled.

"One of these gaps, the lack of after hours crisis intervention for psychiatric emergencies, is soon to be addressed following the recent call for expressions of interest to provide this service."

Mr Kierath said the Western Health Authority had a clear vision of how to facilitate comprehensive multi-disciplinary mental health services in its rural community which are accessible, of a high quality and of a high level of availability.

Media contact:  Brian Coulter 481 2133