Mental health innovations hidden in budget

Manna Institute* Director and UNE Professor Myfanwy Maple has applauded the federal budget support for Australia’s most vulnerable but stressed that preventative health and workforce development measures targeting rural and regional populations are urgently needed.

While the tripling of Medicare rebates will increase access to general practice, and is most welcome in these fiscally challenging times, Professor Maple believes more should be done.

“Financial stresses disproportionately impact people living in rural and regional Australia, who are more socially isolated and more exposed to natural disasters, have fewer job opportunities, lower incomes and less financial security, and this leads to higher rates of mental ill-health,” she said.

“Not all Australians have equal access to GPs, and the further one is from a metropolitan centre, the less access and longer wait times you experience. This means when people do get to see a doctor, they are much more unwell and require more extensive treatment. These are key drivers of distress.”

“Medicare bulk-billing incentives that support longer consultations and mental healthcare planning are a great initiative, but we don’t have enough Medicare-accredited mental health practitioners in the regions.”

Digging deeper into the budget detail, Professor Maple has highlighted the $80 million allocated to Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to devise innovative solutions where GP clinics don’t exist. She said this provides opportunities to address endemic workforce shortages.

“This is an exciting initiative and provides fertile ground for regional communities and services to work with PHNs to meet mental health needs locally,” Professor Maple said. “This aligns with the work of Manna Institute, which is engaged in discussions regarding social prescribing and other innovative non-clinical practice in rural and regional areas. The institute sees great potential in PHNs using local research data to inform the provision of supportive services that respond to changing patient needs.”

Rural, regional and remote Australians comprise almost 30% of our nation’s population. “As the National Rural Health Alliance recently reported, this segment of our population produces 98% of our food, generates half Australia’s tourism income and is responsible for more than two-thirds of our export income,” Professor Maple said. “Yet funding for very remote mental health services is up to 5.7 times less that of major cities.”

How such inequity is addressed through the new budgetary measures will take time to be realised. However, Professor Maple said tracking the success of these new initiatives and using data to inform ongoing improvements is key.

“It is clear the current government is looking to address social inequity, and within this there is a dire need to understand the unique – and diverse – needs of regional Australians,” she said. “We must continue to work to ensure there is easy access to primary health services to reduce the burden on sparse clinical and crisis treatment options.”

*Manna Institute is committed to ensuring equitable mental health support for rural and regional Australians. It draws on lived experience, industry and community partnerships, and evidence-based research to develop cost-effective solutions.