A review of the Territory’s Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing (OMHW) has found it to have built an excellent reputation since its establishment in 2018.
Minister for Mental Health, Emma Davidson said the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing Mid-Term Review considered the Office’s model, its key achievements and heard from key stakeholders as well as community members about its value.
Ms Davidson said the Review, which was a commitment in the OMHW’s workplan, was guided by a reference group consisting of Government and non-Government representatives from the mental health sector.
“It found that the Office was filling a critical gap by pursuing system integration and systemic quality improvements in the ACT, which should in the longer term contribute to better mental health and wellbeing outcomes for the community,” Ms Davidson said.
“Importantly, the Office was found to have an holistic approach to ensure the community is engaged through co-design so we can deliver the best possible support across our communities,” she said.
Ms Davidson said the Review found that the OMHW had already driven impact through genuine community engagement; bringing people together to facilitate conversations; securing Commonwealth funding; delivering projects; and providing bespoke advice.
“While I recognise that this journey has only just begun and we still have a lot of work ahead of us, I commend the Coordinator General, Dr Elizabeth Moore, and the Office’s staff for their progress and achievements so far,” the Minister said.
The Review team made seven recommendations, including that the OMHW explore opportunities to leverage additional resources or partnerships; build its data and system planning capability; clarify its role and delineation with other Government Agencies; continue genuine community engagement; retain focus on system-wide coordination; commence a strategic systems analysis project; and pursue innovative translational research practice.
The 44-page OMHW Mid-Term Review can be accessed at this PS News link.
