available in full on the Royal Commission’s website.
Recommendations (Plain Language)
Our Recommendations (Easy Read)
Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC)
VMIAC is the peak Victorian organisation for people with a lived experience of mental health or emotional challenges.
Tandem
Tandem is the Victorian peak body representing family and friends supporting people living with mental health issues
Self Help Addiction Resource
Centre (SHARC)
Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC) promotes self-help approaches to recovery from severe alcohol and drug related issues.
Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) IMHA is a service provided by VLA. IMHA complements and enhances VLA’s existing legal services for people with mental health issues.
The Commission extensively engaged with people to learn of these themes:
- The system is overwhelmed, unable to keep up with the number of people seeking treatment
- Investment is inadequate and the workforce is under-resourced
- There are clear gaps in the system:
- Community-based services are lacking
- There is a ‘missing middle’ – people have needs that are too complex or too severe to be met through seeing a GP or private psychologist/psychiatrist but not severe enough to meet the criteria for entry into specialist mental health services
- The system is crisis-driven where hospital Emergency Departments are used as entry points.
- Accessing services can be difficult:
- Wait periods are lengthy and people become more unwell, before they can get help
- Poverty and disadvantage make access harder
- Access is worse in regional and rural areas where suicide rates and workforce shortages are higher in these areas
- There are barriers to care for people from diverse communities and social groups – including Aboriginal people, LGBTIQ+ people, refugees, asylum seekers, people from culturally diverse backgrounds and people living with disabilities
- The system is out of balance compared with what we know works and is needed:
- There is an over-reliance on medication, use of restraint, seclusion and compulsory treatment
- There is a lack of focus on therapeutic strength-based treatments
- People are not involved in making their own decisions about their treatment, care and support
- Families, carers and supporters feel left out and are not receiving appropriate support