Mental health sector guidance to the Workforce Working Group: New and innovative models of care

This paper presents guidance and recommendations from the mental health sector to governments on how to best support implementation of Action 1.1.2 of the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy 2022-2032 on “examining innovative service delivery models.”  

There are significant opportunities to embed innovation across the mental health system. These opportunities should be delivered together with actions that improve the sustainability, overall operations and impact of our mental health system.  

The National Mental Health Workforce Sector Advisory Group and Network stressed the importance of innovation being deliberate and purposeful about the goals it is trying to reach. Members identified workforce support and training that should be prioritised to support innovation. They also identified that collaboration is a critical element that should be funded and incentivised through contractual arrangements. Collaboration is needed within and through multidisciplinary teams, between services, between commissioning bodies and across jurisdictions.  

In addition, the Sector Advisory Group and Network advised that the right funding models need to be in place to support innovation. The sector needs to be supported to better leverage digital transformation backed by appropriate risk management and mitigation. Co-design is a critical underpinning element for innovation to occur, alongside the need for accurate data, research and evaluation and the right supporting physical, digital and social infrastructure. 

There is a need for the National Mental Health Workforce Working Group to consider how to support innovation in the context of the next National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement (‘the National Agreement’), particularly by addressing system fragmentation through supporting collaboration. In relation to the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy 2022-2032, the Productivity Commission recommended the next National Agreement should include an explicit delineation of responsibility and funding for workforce development initiatives (see recommendation 4.6).1 This should include specific actions and funding to support innovation, which should be informed by this guidance. 

You can read the guidance below.

Find out more about the National Mental Health Workforce Sector Advisory Group and Network, here.