HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE
FUTURE OF MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES IN WA
Price Waterhouse Cooper is preparing a strategic plan for improving the future delivery of mental health services across the continuum of care, fromprevention and promotion through to acute and recovery services.
This project will provide an agreed overarching policy framework to
guide mental health service reform in Western Australia.
As outlined in the Government’s election commitment, this project
will undertake a comprehensive review of services; develop the State
Mental Health Policy; and develop the State Mental Health Strategic
Plan 2010-2020.
How can we improve mental health services?
Individuals and organisations are invited to provide input into the development of the State Mental Health Strategic Plan 2010-2020 by completing an online submission at www.pwc.com/au/mentalhealthsurvey
The purpose is to find out the priority areas to improve future services for people with mental health problems and promote the mental health of all West Australians.
We would like to find out how well the service meets the needs of
mental health consumers, and their families and carers through an
online survey and a number of consumer and carer workshops.
Please visit www.pwc.com/au/mentalhealthsurvey to complete
the survey.
To register your interest in the consumer and carer workshops, email
your name and contact details to mentalhealthsurvey@au.pwc.com
The online submissions and consumer and carer feedback will be open until 10 July 2009.
More details about the project are at
www.pwc.com/au/mentalhealthsurvey
For any inquiries, please contact
mentalhealthsurvey@au.pwc.com
We look forward to your participation in
this important project. © Department of Health 2009
Published by tony serve
journalist broadcaster and educator, social justice advocate and family man
Tony is a journalist, broadcaster and educator based in Perth, Western Australia.
Tony's professional background includes senior positions in radio and TV newsrooms and current affairs in Australia, Asia and the Middle East, several tours as Middle East and South East Asia correspondent, and decades of community advocacy at home.
Business, community and political leaders at state and federal levels have been ongoing clients for media consulting, with a special range of courses for newsmakers involving "devil's advocate" interviews to practice key performance and crisis management for radio and TV.
Tony has been Senior Ambassador for WA Children’s Week for the last two years, judge of the State Youth Media Awards for six years and is committed to making a difference in his local and global communities.
While lecturing in media at Murdoch University, Tony was rated in the top 10 per cent of teaching staff ( 2002/03 )
Currently Sessional Lecturer in Radio for Notre Dame Univeristy.
Professional clients include police and emergency services in WA, major Australian corporates such as Godfrey Pembroke, and dozens of NGOs as well as groups in child protection and social justice advocacy.
Other in-demand services are Master of Ceremonies and compering, keynote speeches on media, mental health and social justice issues, plus voice-overs and digital video productions for broadcast and web.
View more posts
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://i0.wp.com/img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png)
online & broadcast media 
Hi Tony
Thank you so much for the interest shown in mental health. We have got grat people working in mental health but we need more of them. Thier are some very good programs out there but as always it is a post code lotto deal when it comes to geting a service. It also depends on funding arrangments as it is well known by many taht the funding is very often short term. Good programs can be kept or lost due to having to re apply for funding. I have seen many programs over the years recieve awards and the next yaer they no longer exist. We need to look at funding both Federal and State to be able to hace continude funnding for programs that are evidence based and are shown to have good outcomes.
We also need creative people who can think outside the box. Great thinkers make thngs happen and are willing to take risks. We would not have penicilin, light bulbs, man on the moon, and many more things that have help humanity with progress working towards a better world to live in
Poppy
Hi Tony
As someone who has heard about this survey and who is concerned about where the system may be heading (could it get any worse)……
All I can say is please listeners and others who are concerned for people with mental illness and those who care for people with mental illness…..get a piece of paper, any piece and write your views into the address below:-
Price Waterhouse Coopers
Mental Health Survey
GPO Box D198
PERTH WA 6840
Keep up the good work Tony.
Thanks Ellie,
As you know it’s vital that people engage in this survey process, even though it is flawed.
It’s outrageous that successive Governments spend millions of the community’s money on things like a referendum on Daylight saving or Shopping, but wimp out on getting proper feedback on the life and death issue of mental health reform and education.
Where are the press, TV and Radio ads to actually get the request for feedback out to people? Are they even a little bit serious about this? There’s plenty of money to advertise conserving water, what about the lives of our men women and children?
A major movement is underway in Perth where those called “mental health consumers” by the box ticking bureacrats are claiming their voice through mainstream and new media.
Politicians can get on board for urgent life-saving reform or get run over by the survivors of failed policy – remember we are “crazy” and we have nothing to lose.
Forgive me venting here, but I speak for my fellow travellers who have suffered from neglect and apathy, and for the families of those who died because of treatable mental health problems.
Doctors still tell people presenting with serious problems to “get over it” and many more prescribe deadly drugs without a diagnostic protocol that would pass first year med school.
The change starts now, watch this space…
Hi Tony
You weren’t ranting at all, but we go easy on media people since they are used to filling air time…..smiles.
There are a few “consumers” around the place putting in the hard yards (in winter) to get the word out, and it hasn’t been easy, but we are having an impact even if it appears to be smallish at the moment.
The planets are aligning towards the end of the year when all the ….this and that world health days…..come together. That will be our time for media blitzing. Will apply for a slot if you are free!
We await the new Commissioner for Mental Health with interest.
“Ellie”
Hello Everyone who listens in to Tony
Please keep the stories coming – and PLEASE fill out the survey and/or BETTER STILL have your say in anyway you want – write out on blank paper just what it is you have experienced, what you have witnessed happening to others and MOST IMPORTANTLY – EXACTLY WHAT YOU OR THEY NEED TO RECOVER from their suffering. We HAVE TO MAKE SURE the politicians and bureaucrats HEAR AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE ON THIS so that we can get the changes made we need. Keep filling out those surveys and writing those submissions. I truly appreciate each and every person who has done so so far! from…. the little voice who spoke up about this last week on air!
Thanks Shiningviolet 😀 You are doing a power of good with your advocacy.
For EVERYONE – please leave a question here if you have concerns or a general query about the survey and the call for written submissions. We will post more info, replies and more interviews in the coming two weeks.
I also welcome guest writers and contributors, please leave a comment if you’d like to write on a semi regular basis – your voice is valuable even if you are not a writer or journalist.
Meanwhile please email a link to this page, DIGG it, tweet it and tell your friends because if you don’t have a say now ( before the 24th ) it won’t be included in this vial planning process.
Hello Tony,
I listen to you on the radio and I support all that you are saying & doing for mental health. I have a Disability son who has been on medication for years – It would take me for ever to tell you the story. My son had Brain damage at birth and also through that has cereabal Paucy. But with a country
such as Australia the Health department is a disgrace.
There is so much I would like to say as not only does it effect my son but it also his siblings and it can have great
effect on a marraige. I am fortunate and blessed that I have understanding husband who has been my rock and
given great support. For 4 years in a row my son was in healthcote for 8 months at a time due to fact they could not get medication to stabilise him. It is a very sad that the people the Govt that can do so much more, just don’t want to know about it. But they don’t live with it – if they did they might have so much more compassion for these people who through no fault of their own have to live with it and so do their family.
Thanks for listening and I just hope that so much more help can be given to thoes who suffer.
Kind regards.
Myra
Thanks belatedly Myra, it’s been a little busy. I hope you stay in touch and I’d welcome any input you’d care to share here, long or short comments, we need to hear from you 🙂
The main problem that with mental health is lack of MONEY to allow more mental health units to be built, in my work I have found that for someone to actually get admitted for even a short stay is if the patient says I WILL KILL MYSELF NOW. this is because there is a lack of beds in our hospitals and when you are admitted they will do anything to stablize you so that you can move out. unfortunately i tried to kill myself as I had given up on trying to get help and was finally admitted from ICU. In the greatest country in the world you would think the government would do anything to preserve a human life instead of spending money on belltowers and multinova camers. Even Doctor Gallop had the guts to come out and tell the country that he suffered from depression, what more does it take?????
Gidday Tony, I listen to your show every saturday as one of my jobs is a security officer and Im awake all night. I in the past have worked as a youthworker, aged care nurse, and I also have another job as a manager/caretaker of a mens hostel in the southwest of the state. Most of my residents have had mental illness in some form from alcohol and drug abuse. Also I have a couple of men who have severe clinical depression which I understand because I have suffered myself for many years. I had to go into a unit after I tried to overdose and ended up in ICU about 1 hour from death. no medication would work for me. I demanded that something be done and I chose to have ECT, I know there is a big stigma attached to this but I did not want to live and took the chance even after the doctors warned me that it may have some side effects such as memory loss etc. anyway after 12 treatments and a month in the nut house Iam a different person and can actually wake up in the morning not in tears and can actually enjoy my life for the first time in 50 years, your show was great last saturday and keep up the great work. You know a lot about depression yourself as you also are a sufferer, I was going to ring on sat but I would have taken up too much time so this is why Im writing this. I will happily do the survey and cross fingers that with the help of people like yourself the public may get a better understanding and not this OH GET OVER IT shit. cheers my friend
Jimmy
Thanks a lot Jimmy – we have a lot in common 🙂 I’m rapt the ECT worked for you – the treatment has evolved from the horrific applications decades ago and in critical and chronic cases it can be excellent.
I also advocate for less chronic cases, things like neurofeedback and Guided Imagery. I hope to work on a comprehensive list of avialable tools for mental health and would welcome your contributions.
Well we need to look at accommodation issues for a number of people; many homeless people have mental health issues; I know of one person with mental health and addiction issues for whom accommodation has been a problem for a while. I’ve resolved to make a contribution via the links provided here. Thanks Tony.
Good on you Roscoe thanks mate. Hope to catch up before too long. Good luck to your friend. I’m rapt you’re speaking up so these bureacrats can get a clue 🙂 tony