Last Tuesday, CEO Jonathan Harms and Board Treasurer Andrew Pryor represented MHCN at a press release outside Parliament House as part of the Alliance, made up of 8 leading mental health organisations and peak bodies that includes MHCN.

Leading up to the state election, MHCN and the Alliance are calling for all parties to commit to a comprehensive reform of the mental health system.

A survey conducted of over 1300 people in the mental health workforce including GPs, peer workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc., painted a picture of a mental health system and workforce that is overstrained and underfunded, often leaving the most vulnerable people who need help, and their families and carers, to fall through the cracks or unable to access or afford the appropriate care they need.

The survey is the base for a new report that has been released, “The NSW Mental Health Care System on the Brink: Evidence from the Frontline”. Now, the Alliance are calling for 3 key things for mental health reform:

• the establishment of an expert taskforce to conduct a gap analysis,
• improvement in access and quality of care, and
• new funding.

You can read Joel’s story of his experience in the mental health system here: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/forgotten-hallucinating-patient-left-in-small-hospital-room-for-hours-20230313-p5crkv.html?mc_cid=e651939f5f&mc_eid=8f76cd3ced

You can read the full report “The NSW Mental Health Care System: Evidence from the Frontline” here: https://www.ranzcp.org/files/resources/reports/nsw-mental-health-system-on-the-brink.aspx