Tasmania’s peak mental health body is urging election candidates to back stronger investment in community-based supports that help people avoid hospitalisation.
The Mental Health Council of Tasmania (MHCT) has outlined three key priorities for all parties ahead of the July 19 state election.
Top of the list is secure, long-term funding for community mental health organisations.
The council is also calling for 5% of the mental health budget to go towards prevention, along with better coordination across services.
“We know all the candidates will say that the mental health and wellbeing of Tasmanians is important to them and one of their top priorities,” MHCT CEO Dan Vautin said.
He said community-managed mental health organisations were the “backbone” of Tasmania’s system, helping people manage their conditions and live independently in the community.
“But too many Tasmanians are missing out on the support they need, when they need it,” Vautin added.
“We need to transition funding to support prevention to take the pressure off our hospitals and GPs, while also implementing systems that improve access and coordination across services.”
He said the focus should be less on reacting to people in crisis and more on understanding why they are reaching crisis point in the first place.
“We have to start measuring the success of our mental health system by the number of people we can support to stay out of our hospitals, not by the number of people we can fit into them,” he said.
