Key plans and strategies

The NSW State Plan outlines the NSW Government's key objectives and priorities for the future. MHDAO is responsible for leading the implementation of mental health and drug and alcohol priorities which include:

• F3. Improved outcomes for mental health
• S3. Reducing drug and alcohol use

In the context of the Government's broad reform agenda for mental health, the Interagency Action Plan for Better Mental Health aims to ensure there is coordinated and effective action across government agencies to respond to the needs of people with mental illness, as well as those of their families and carers.

The Plan provides a clear framework to focus this work on three key objectives:

• Prevent or intervene early in the onset of mental illness;
• Improve community support to those who need continuing care; and
• Improve responses to mental health emergencies.

Health, education, housing, police, justice, community and disability agencies are making considerable progress in implementing the commitments set out in the Plan. Progress details can be found at:

• Interagency Action Plan for Better Mental Health: Second Yearly Progress Report
• Interagency Action Plan for Better Mental Health: First Yearly Progress Report

The plan, A new direction for Mental Health, represents a new approach to service provision for people with mental illness and for their families and carers. The Plan provides a better balance between hospital-focused and community care.

A $939m program over five years commenced with $149m in additional funding in the 2006/2007 financial year. The five-year plan includes $338m of new recurrent funding enhancements for initiatives and expanded services that began in 2006/07, following the $263m in spending enhancements announced by the Premier as Health Minister.

At the request of Health Ministers, a Fourth National Mental Health Plan is being developed to guide reform over the next five years under the umbrella of a revised National Mental Health Policy 2008. This ‘Whole- of- Government’ plan will be the fourth of a series of national mental health plans that have been developed under the National Mental Health Strategy, which has guided mental health reform in Australia since 1992.

In July 2006, the Council of Australian Governments endorsed the National Action Plan on Mental Health which provides a strategic framework that emphasises coordination and collaboration between government, private and non-government providers in order to deliver a more seamless and connected care system, so that people with mental illness are able to participate in the community.

The Community Mental Health Strategy 2007-2012 (NSW): From prevention and early intervention to recovery

The 2007-2012 strategy describes the model for community mental health services to be developed and delivered by 2012. This model provides a framework for improving responses to the needs of people with mental illness, their families and carers across NSW, across the age ranges, and across diverse communities, working in collaboration with service partners.

The NSW Multicultural Mental Health Plan 2008-2012 was launched in Parliament House on 26 November 2008.  The Plan is a strategic state-wide policy and service delivery framework aimed at improving the mental health of people in NSW from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities.

For people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds who have a mental health issue, it is very important that mental health services are culturally sensitive and appropriate – culturally sensitive care and treatment is crucial to their recovery. 

The Multicultural Mental Health Plan directly addresses this issue, by outlining how Mental Health Services in NSW can more effectively meet the needs of a diverse community.

Over the next five years, Area Health Services in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas will further develop models of mental health care and services that reflect the demographic profile of their respective areas. 

The Plan outlines five interrelated strategies: 

• Integrated polices that guide informed and data driven planning systems;
• Renewing the focus on education, prevention and early intervention;
• Delivering culturally inclusive and responsive mental health services;
• Enhancing cultural competency in mental health service delivery; and
• Promoting culturally inclusive research, evaluation and innovation

The Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People (SMHSOP) - NSW Service Plan - 2005-2015 is intended to guide the development of Specialist Mental Health Services for Older People (SMHSOP) in Area Health Services across NSW over the next 10 years. Pressure on these specialist services will grow as the population ages and the number of older people with complex mental health problems increase. The Plan outlines the relevant policy, planning and demographic context, key mental health issues for older people, the broader service system of which SMHSOP are a part, and strategic priorities in older people's mental health. It defines the scope and functions of SMHSOP and outlines a SMHSOP service delivery model and implementation plan for the development of the model across NSW, together with a reporting, monitoring and evaluation framework.

The Drug Summit in 1993 and the Alcohol Summit in 2003 highlighted the need to address the serious and sometimes tragic health, social and financial ramifications that drug and alcohol issues can have. The Summits provided additional funding from the State Government to address issues relating to illicit drug use and alcohol in NSW. A Whole-of-Government community approach has been taken to tackle these issues on all levels. Since then, drug and alcohol treatment services have taken a new direction. 

The NSW Health Drug and Alcohol Plan 2006-2010 provides a clear framework on how to address drug and alcohol issues.

In accordance with the recommendations of the 2003 NSW Summit on Alcohol Abuse and Priority S3 of the NSW State Plan, the NSW Health Alcohol Services Plan (previously known as the Alcohol Disease Prevention Plan) has been prepared to document NSW Health's approach to developing and implementing strategies that focus on early interventions and treatment to ameliorate or prevent alcohol-related harm and diseases.

The plan focuses on key points in the health system to enhance its capacity to prevent alcohol-related disease and to reduce hospital admissions.  The plan identifies a number of broad areas through which to improve the development and delivery of alcohol-related services in NSW.  The plan relates to the following areas:

• Early intervention
• Consultation liaison services
• Shared care
• Planning for effective tertiary intervention
• Non-government organisations
• Planning other strategies for alcohol disease prevention

This Plan is currently awaiting endorsement and will be released once approved.

The National Drug Strategy, a cooperative venture between Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and the non-government sector, is aimed at improving health, social and economic outcomes for Australians by preventing the uptake of harmful drug use and reducing the harmful effects of licit and illicit drugs in our society.

A number of frameworks help to guide this strategy. They include the:

• National Drug Strategic Framework
• National Illicit Drug Strategy
• National Alcohol Strategy
• National Tobacco Strategy
• National Indigenous Drug Strategy
• National School Drug Education Strategy
• National Cannabis Strategy
• National Amphetamine-Type Stimulants Strategy

In accordance with recommendations of the 2003 NSW Summit on Alcohol Abuse and latterly Priority S3 of NSW State Plan, The Youth Alcohol Action Plan 2008-2012 updates the Youth Alcohol Action Plan 2001-2005.  The Action Plan provides a framework for strategies that aim to prevent and reduce alcohol related harms in youth aged 12 to 24 years.

NSW Health coordinated the Action Plan’s development which was undertaken in consultation with key NSW partner agencies including the Department of Community Services, the Department of Education and Training, the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, the Department of Sport, Recreation and Tourism, NSW Police, NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, Attorney General’s Department, Department of Juvenile Justice, the Commission for Children and Young People, the Youth Action and Policy Association, the NSW Centre for Advancement of Adolescent Health, the Network of Alcohol and Drugs Associations and DrinkWise Australia.