Matters raised in Ministerial Roundtables and other community consultations in 2014 were considered in the development of a Rural and Remote Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan for Queensland.
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December 2014 |
A roundtable meeting convened on 11 December 2014 in Stanthorpe, outlined progress made since the Ministerial Roundtable in March 2014 and the shared commitments going forward. |
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September 2014 |
A roundtable meeting was held on 30 September 2014 in Mount Isa regarding progress made since the Charleville meeting in March 2014 and the consensus for the way forward. Read the Charleville communique |
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May 2014 |
On 15 May, the Mental Health Commissioner visited Theodore, accompanied by consulting psychiatrist Dr Mohan Gilhotra and hosted by Dr Bruce Chater, Chair of the Statewide Rural and Remote Clinical Network. The Commission provided a Submission to the Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry into Telehealth Services in Queensland. |
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April 2014 |
Following on from the Ministerial Roundtable held in Charleville on 13 March 2014, a second meeting of stakeholders was held on 10 April. As a result of these two roundtable discussions, the Commission was asked to coordinate the work being done in rural and remote mental health. The purpose of this work program was to maximise the use and effectiveness of local services for local people, providing timely access to services for those who are struggling to cope with mental health issues. The Commission released an issues paper, which focuses on key issues raised during the Commission’s consultations during the development of the 2014-2019 Strategic Plan, and ideas identified by key stakeholders servicing rural and remote Queensland. The issues paper also refers to matters raised at the Ministerial Roundtable held in March 2014, with specific focus on response to the drought. The Department of Health is developing an online portal for mental health services and additional areas of work are being arranged. This information will be updated here as it is confirmed. In April, the Mental Health Commissioner also visited Emerald to continue discussions around how to improve access to mental health services in rural Queensland. |
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March 2014 |
On 13 March, a Ministerial Roundtable was held in Charleville, chaired by the then Health Minister Lawrence Springborg. The meeting was attended by key representatives from across the region, with discussions about the ongoing impact of the drought, the need for more local input into decisions about services and for timely and relevant information being easily available to the community. Click here to read a summary of the Ministerial Roundtable discussions. The Commission actively engaged with key stakeholders such as RANZCP and the Rural and Remote Clinical Network to hear their perspectives on mental health, alcohol and other drugs and clinical service delivery in their communities. This work was commenced to inform the Commission about specific issues for rural and remote communities and improve clinical service delivery. |
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February 2014 |
Key emerging issues relating to rural and remote access and the Commission’s actions have been outlined in the paper, Rural and remote mental health: Better access for Queenslanders. |
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January 2014 |
In January 2014 work commenced to identify the barriers to accessing mental health services in rural and remote areas. The Commission appointed Associate Professor Mohan Gilhotra, a consultant psychiatrist and Queensland’s former Chief Psychiatrist, to focus on what better access to rural and remote services would like and to work with communities to identify known impediments to service delivery from a clinical perspective. |
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December 2013 |
A key message from the community consultation held to inform development of the Strategic Plan was that people in rural and remote areas need better access to mental health services. Papers were provided to the Commission to stimulate discussion and share information on issues for rural and remote communities. The Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention at Griffith University submitted two issue papers on the topic; 'Better suicide prevention in rural and remote Queensland' and 'Snapshot: Farmer suicide in Queensland'. Mark Goddard from RHealth submitted: 'Too much, too little, too late! Interagency models for cooperation in rural and remote areas' |
