The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System recommendations recognise the system’s heavy reliance on an under-resourced and traumatised mental health workforce, including mental health nurses.
The Andrews Government has started the work to put a well-supported workforce at the heart of a new system that is trauma-informed and based on early intervention, prevention, responsiveness and compassion. It is an ambitious vision that must be fully realised.
Many of the recommendations align with the priorities outlined in the ANMF submission to the royal commission which include increased funding, retaining clinical mental health services in the hospital system, removing fragmentation between services and improving the safety of mental health nurses.
ANMF’s priority is to ensure mental health nurses’ voices are heard during the reform process including the implementation of new models of care, recruitment and retention of mental health nurses, nurse ratios, improving workplace health and safety, and the redesign of buildings and systems.
