Shared leadership and accountability is required to deliver a system that reflects and supports the optimal design and mix of services commensurate with population need.
A more balanced approach requires a shift to the community as the key place where mental health and AOD services and support are provided, with hospitals being a core element, but a last resort.
Growth and development of initiatives to prevent and reduce the impact of mental illness, problematic AOD use and suicide requires prioritisation.
Collective leadership and responsibility is required across all policy, funding, program development and service delivery to achieve common outcomes and collective benefit.
Strategic directions
Balancing our approach
A balanced system emphasises mental health promotion, illness prevention, early intervention and harm minimisation in addition to treatment and support. Continuing to expand our community-based treatment and support programs will improve outcomes for individuals to remain healthy, supported and participating within the community.
Collective responsibility
An integrated policy and planning approach is the foundation of this Strategic Plan. Reform cannot be achieved through any one agency, sector or tier of government working alone.
It requires the collection actions of local, state and Commonwealth governments; the private, public and not-for-profit sectors; industry and beyond.
Leadership
Senior governance mechanisms, including through a Strategic Leadership Group, will be established to drive implementation of the Strategic Plan.
Strategic priorities
1. Drive reform through strategic leadership
Embed and strengthen shared leadership and accountability. Priority actions for consideration include:
- Establish whole-of-government and cross-sectoral governance mechanisms that involve government, non-government, peak body representatives, people with a lived experience, carers and families, to oversee and review implementation of this Strategic Plan
- Continue to develop the systemic responses that support the effective engagement and participation of people with a lived experience in policy, planning and governance.
2. Build on reform
Build on Connecting care to recovery through needs-based growth and development of mental health, AOD and suicide prevention services and systems. Priority actions for consideration include:
- Enhance community-based services, including community treatment and community support services
- Expand AOD services, particularly rehabilitation and detoxification services
- Increase community bed-based services e.g. step-up/step-down services
- Increase hospital-bed based services to address service gaps and population growth.
3. Adopt needs-based planning
Embed evidence-based and integrated planning at state and regional levels. Priority actions for consideration include:
- Adopt evidence and needs-based planning frameworks to inform regional funding and service enhancements for mental illness and AOD use. This includes through the NMHSPF and examining the best use of the DASPM in Queensland
- Develop mechanisms to support PHN, HHS, NGO and private sector collaboration and joint regional planning.
4. Renew cross-sectoral suicide prevention and AOD responses
Strengthen and integrate the cross-sectoral approach to problematic AOD use and harm minimisation, and suicide prevention.
This includes identifying and addressing common and distinct emerging issues and priorities for Queensland relating to problematic AOD use and suicide prevention. Priority actions for consideration include:
- Renew the Queensland Government’s approach to preventing and reducing problematic AOD use, including reducing drug-related deaths
- Renew the Queensland Government’s suicide prevention approach through a focus on higher-risk groups and settings.
5. Renew cross-sectoral approaches to social and emotional wellbeing
Strengthen and integrate the cross-sectoral approach to social and emotional wellbeing. Priority actions for consideration include:
- Develop a collaborative approach to drive cross-sectoral reform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, and responses to mental illness, problematic AOD use and suicide
- Adopt healing-informed approaches by service providers in their communication, policies and practices.
