Crisis point … mental health services will have to give their staff notice unless federal funding grants are announced within 20 days. Picture Thinkstock
ONLINE mental health program Mindspot, which has helped up to 30,000 people, will have to give notice to its 43 staff and shut down its programs in 20 days unless federal government funding comes through.
It is one of hundreds of mental health programs still waiting for news on whether government funding will continue past June 30.
Mindspot director Nick Titov says he must give staff two months’ notice of redundancy and needs to know by April 1 if the service’s $16 million government funding will continue.
“We have 380-400 new patients a week, we’re committed to continue the programs but from early April we will have to review what we can offer and services will be disbanded,” Mr Titov said.
Headspace CEO Chris Tanti says staff are already leaving his organisation which provides help for 52,000 young people with a mental illness every year because of the funding uncertainty.
“These things are always left to the last minute but people have responsibilities and mortgages and they start to panic,” he said.
Services evaluated … mental health groups are also waiting for the release of a major government report. Picture: Thinkstock.Source:News Limited
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The mental health sector is also waiting on the government to release a major review of the sector it received last year.
The report by the Mental Health Commission has assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of programs and services in supporting individuals experiencing mental ill health and their families and was to point the way forward for policy reform.
The Mindspot programs were developed in conjunction with Macquarie University and half the services clients are from outside major cities and can’t access face to face mental health services.
Mindspot offers free online and telephone courses to treat depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.
In need … around 500 mental health services are waiting for a government fundng announcement. Picture” Thinkstock.Source:ThinkStock
Mental Health Australia chief Frank Quinlan says other programs in the firing line include the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, Kidsmatter which provides mental health help in 2,000 schools and the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program.
The Access to Allied Psychological Services the program that provides funding for 69,000 Australians to make at least 12 visits to a mental health provider is also waiting for news on whether its funding will continue.
Headspace which is contracted by the government to provide youth mental health services is also waiting on an announcement about its funding.
“We estimate at least 500 organisations are funded by the Commonwealth Health Department and $300 million worth of grants are due to expire,” Mr Quinlan says.
Although the minister had met with groups and had given an undertaking to solve the problem no announcement had been made, he said.
Change on way … Health Minster Sussan Ley says she is working hard to give mental health services certainty. Picture: ThinkstockSource:Supplied
“We are concerned as time slips away that people are looking at other options, 40 per cent of organisations we surveyed are already losing staff,” he said.
“Organisations will bump into legal requirements to give notice from the end of March,” he said.
Minister for Health Sussan Ley said she was currently finalising immediate funding arrangements to give mental health organisations certainty as soon as possible.
“In my consultations with mental health organisations I have been highly conscious of the need for certainty and we’re committed to working with the sector to continue delivering frontline services to those who need it,” Ms Ley said.
Mr Tanti said the previous health minister Peter Dutton was due to release the mental health commission report in January but a change of minister had put that back.
“I’m pretty clear the minister is sympathetic to the issue and is trying to get her head around the report and the portfolio but on the ground its affecting employment and we’ve had some staff leave because of it,” he said.
Assistant Social Services Minister Mitch Fifield was able to give mental health programs in his portfolio funding certainty a few weeks ago.