Topic: Mental health

Passionate, enthusiastic and innovative community members and services providers came together with SWSPHN recently to create design briefs for new local mental health services which could transform the way men at risk of suicide access supports.

Eighty-three participants attended our Men’s Proactive Suicide Prevention co-design sessions at Campbelltown and Mittagong on 3 and 4 February.

We’ll be developing and funding a range of new men’s suicide prevention initiatives over the coming years to reduce the alarming rate of male suicide.

The co-design sessions gave local people an opportunity to contribute to the development of local services.

Presentations from existing services which have already tailored programs towards men inspired participants early on in the sessions and helped spark crucial early conversations about the best practice approaches to men’s suicide prevention.

Consumers, carers and family members whose lives have been touched by suicide also spoke, reminding participants of the importance of tackling the significant mental health concern.

Our Mental Health Manager Christopher Jones received a positive response from participants.

“Participants said the sessions provided a tangible way to put forward their ideas and visions for change,” he said.

“They also said that through the creation of their own design brief, both individually and with like-minded people, they gained a sense that they are able to be part of a wider vision that influences how programs and services should be funded and made available in South Western Sydney.”

Our mental health and commissioning staff will now work closely with the co-design consultant to review the design briefs and develop programs and supports within the coming months.

After three years and lots of hard work, SWSPHN and SWSLHD have launched our Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention plan for South Western Sydney – a roadmap for supporting the mental health needs of our region’s residents.

Those who attended the virtual event on 19 November heard from our CEO, Dr Keith McDonald PhD, and SWSLHD Chief Executive Amanda Larkin, in addition to SWSPHN and SWSLHD staff. We also got the perspective of service providers and people with lived experience on what the plan means to them.

The plan includes input from more than 200 people from organisations, services, hospital staff, GPs, people with lived experience and carers, Indigenous support services, schools and community services across South Western Sydney.

It will guide local efforts to improve access to mental health support in areas including referral pathways, integration, and collaboration within the mental health sector and relevant community and health services.

In a video message, Dr McDonald welcomed the plan as the next important step in addressing our region’s mental health needs, saying up to 166,000 people in our community were impacted by some level of mental illness in any given year.

He explained that integration was the concept underpinning the regional plan.

“Integration to remedy the fragmentation that people with mental health issues experience all too often, integration to break down the silos and to ensure services are working together,” he said.

“By tapping into all the networks and services both organisations work with on a daily basis, we have been able to build a comprehensive snapshot of the needs of consumers, services and the wider community.”

In the video Ms Larkin said the plan’s vision was to provide treatment, care and support for individuals which was personalised and provided by the right service at the right place, at the right time.

“Our vision is that services work with those accessing support in a coordinated way to understand them and holistically meet their needs,” she said.

“Mental health and suicide prevention services must be affordable, family-inclusive and free from discrimination and stigma.”

The plan received praised from representatives of local services and those with lived experience and carers who spoke at the launch.

Representatives from The Benevolent Society/headspace, Community Links Wellbeing, One Door Mental health and South Western Sydney Recovery College/MDS took the opportunity to talk about their services and what the plan will mean for their clients.

Larry Whipper from Community Links Wellbeing said he was excited to see the plan come together and that it showed someone was listening to the needs of rural communities.

Debbie Graham from South Western Sydney Recovery College and MDS said the plan provided a roadmap and would strengthen what her organisation was already doing.

Carer, Cheryl Paradella, said if the plan was used the way it was set out, it would be successful in bringing together different organisations.

Ashley Reynolds, a senior peer worker at SWSLHD, shared her lived experience of mental illness and recovery.

“For the first 20 years of my life the symptoms were devastating… it impacted by ability to take part in everyday life,” she told the launch.

“The plan brings together many things that are meaningful to me. I didn’t feel safe to reach out for support. There was a lack of readily available information about where I could go for support; lack of actual services was an issue as well.

“The plan works to address issues that I experienced navigating the mental health system in South Western Sydney.”

Read the plan

What does it feel like to have a mental illness? How does a carer of someone with a mental illness cope with their role?

Tune In to the Campbelltown Living Library during Mental Health Month and hear local stories of people with a lived experience of mental illness, of being a carer or professional in the mental health sector, answer these questions.

Connect to the Living Library on Facebook Live via Libraries Facebook page or via SWS Wellbeing Facebook page on 19 and 26 October, 10am to 11am.
 

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