Mental health

The New South Wales Budget has outlined $1.34 billion in spending on mental health services in 2011-12, marking an increase of $109 million from last year's State Budget.

 

Major recurrent funded initiatives for mental health services in 2011-12 include:

  • $6.9 million to continue the phased implementation of services at the new mental health facility at Bloomfield.
  •  $3.4 million to improve access to specialist child and adolescent mental health services within the community and provide better outreach services to families.
  • $2 million in increased funding to Lifeline for telephone and counselling services.
  • $800,000 to establish a Mental Health Clinical Academic Research Program aimed at developing potential researchers to increase the capacity for mental health research.
  • $800,000 for four additional mental health beds for older people at Calvary Mater Hospital, Newcastle.
  • $500,000 to enhance the Schizophrenia Research Chair and program dedicated to discovering ways to prevent and cure schizophrenia.
  • $500,000 to enhance emergency mental health responsiveness in rural NSW and pilot service models that facilitate the timely handover of people detained by police under the Mental Health Act into the care of the health system

 

The NSW Government has also committed extra funding of $10 million over 4 years for drug and alcohol rehabilitation services and program aimed at treating an extra 5000 people.

 

In addition, the State Government has also announced the following drug alcohol addiction policies:

 

  • $3.4 million for the NSW Opioid Treatment Program to increase access to treatment and enhance the quality of care provided for people with opioid dependence in NSW.
  • $1.6 million to establish involuntary drug and alcohol treatment services to help dependent people withdraw from their drug and alcohol addiction.  The NSW Government is also investing $85.7 million in mental health capital works infrastructure. New mental health capital works projects in 2011-12 include:
  • $83.2 million for Works in Progress, including the Nepean Hospital Stage 3A redevelopment as well as Mental Health Units at Hornsby, Prince of Wales and Sydney Children’s Hospitals.
  • $2 million is included in planning funds for election commitment projects for Mental Health Services at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
  • $500,000 towards a Mental Health Carer’s Room at Maitland Hospital

 

Aged and disability care

The New South Wales Government has announced a $2.8 billion spending package for aged care and disability services in the state's 2011-12 State Budget.

 

The Budget has slated $2.02 billion to build on disability services over the coming five years. NSW Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, Andrew Constance, said the additional funding will increase disability services capacity by an estimated 47,000 places.

 

The 2011-12 Budget has allocated a total of $2.8 billion to Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Family and Community Services NSW (ADHC).

 

As part of the second phase of the Stronger Together strategy, an additional $137.6 million will be invested in disability support in 2011-12 including:

 

  • $22.6 million on an extra 300 supported accommodation places including 100 Supported Living Fund packages that support people with disability to live in their own communities.
  •  $15.2 million on Community Participation to support an additional 500 school leavers with a disability.
  • $6 million on Family Support creating an additional 1,620 places to assist children and their families at the time when assistance is most effective.
  • $4 million on decision support services to build the skills and capabilities of people with a disability and improve the social contexts in which they live.
  • $5.2 million on Community Engagement for an additional 260 places for age appropriate day time activities and supports for adults with a disability.
  • $3.4 million on Attendant Care for an additional 55 places in portable, flexible and individualised support for people with a physical disability who need personal help to complete activities on a daily basis.
  • $3.4 million on Flexible Respite for an additional 840 places for short term and timelimited breaks for families and care givers of people with a disability.
  • $2.6 million to non-government organisations for an additional 990 therapy places to build the skills and capabilities of clients.
  •  $3.1 million on Peaks, Advocacy & Information Services to support individuals and families by representing their interests and assist them to access information so they can make informed choices and participate in their community.

 

 

Health research

The New South Wales State Budget has outlined $105.6 million for medical research in the 2011-12 financial year.

 

Major investments in Medical Research in 2011-12 include:

  • Over $60 million for capital grants to the Westmead Millennium Institute, Australian Advanced Treatment Centre at Prince Of Wales Hospital, Neuroscience Research Australia, and the Children’s Medical Research Institute at Westmead.
  • $32 million for the Medical Research Support Program which supports infrastructure and operating costs for 17 medical research institutes in NSW. This includes rolling $10 million into the base funding that was previously only “top up” funding, and a $5 million boost as per election commitments. 
  • Almost $3 million for the Spinal Cord Injury and Other Related Neurological Conditions Research Grants Program.
  • Almost $10 million for the Translational Cancer Research Program, with grants administered by the Cancer Institute NSW.

The NSW Government has also established an Office for Medical Research and is developing the state's first 10-year Health and Medical Research Strategic Plan

 

 

Restructuring

The NSW Government has announced a major restructure of the health system which will ensure genuine local responsibility, local decision-making and accountability by Local Health Districts, their boards and clinicians the State Government has said. 

 

Also included in the restructure is the planned $1.08 billion health capital works program that will see significant upgrades and improvements to the state's health infrastructure ahead of the State Budget this week.

 

The reform will see a middle layer of management removed which the State Government says will allow resources to be deployed to support frontline health care.

 

In the most significant change to health care delivery since the late 1980s, the key changes include:

  • The abolition of about 200 middle layer management positions in what was formerly known as the 'clusters' (three groups – Northern, Western, and Southern – which controlled the smaller local health districts). The clusters were established in 2010 by the former Labor Government);
  • Devolving most of the resources remaining in the clusters to the Local Health Districts;
  • Deleting about 100 positions from the head office in North Sydney.
  • Shifting of several functions from head office to the 'four pillars' - the Agency for Clinical Innovation, the Clinical Excellence Commission, the Health Education and Training Institute and the Bureau of Health Information - all established following the Garling inquiry into hospital services.

The Department of Health will become the Ministry of Health, reduced in size and with a flatter structure as the local health networks have greater control.

 

The new Ministry of Health will focus on policy, funding and performance of the more devolved system.

 

The restructure will see a strengthening of the role and resources of the four pillars which will provide greater support to the Local Health Districts.

 

This will include:

  • an enhanced role for the Agency of Clinical Innovation, which will have the primary role of engaging clinical service networks and designing new models of care;
  • the creation of the Health Education and Training Institute to support the skills, development and training of clinicians and health administrators across NSW;
  • the Clinical Excellence Commission will take responsibility for the safety and quality functions previously handled by NSW Health; and
  • there will be enhanced capacity for the Bureau of Health Information to report on health services across the state.

 

In addition a new agency to be called eHealth NSW will be created, to drive innovation, improve implementation of vital electronic health initiatives and provide support to the districts and their facilities.

 

Implementation of the changes will start immediately and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

 

The restructure is expected to free up more than $80 million for frontline services.

 

 

Infrastructure and capital works 

The New South Wales State Government has unveiled a planned $1.08 billion spending package health capital works across the state to be spent over the next year.

 

Included in the capital works spending are major upgrades to metropolitan and regional hospitals to be conducted over the 2011-12 financial year.

 

Despite a significant worsening of the state's financial situation since the government's March election victory, State Treasurer Mike Baird has said that plans for health reform remain unchanged.

 

"In the budget this week there will be a significant increase in infrastructure spend across the state and, most particularly, in health," Mr Baird said.

 

Included in the capital works spend is:

  • $139 million expansion of the Campbelltown Hospital
  • $147 million extension to Royal North Shore
  • $170 million for an e-health project aimed at improving medication safety
  • $270 million for Wagga Wagga Base Hospital
  • $110 million for Port Macquarie Base Hospital
  • $79.8 million for Dubbo Base Hospital

 

The State Government also announced it will also continue its $84 million spending initiative to employ an additional 900 nursing staff in the state over the 2011-12 financial year.