Older Persons Mental Health Service

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:53): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse questions in relation to the older persons mental health service.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: On last Tuesday 10 October, the minister issued a press release that announced that the Oakden Response Models of Care Project consultation document was released that day for consultation. Feedback on the draft model of care was due to close two days later, by close of business on last Thursday 12 October. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is the minister serious about engaging the views of older people with mental health issues and their families when he only gives two days for responses on such important issues?

2. How many responses were received?

3. How long does the minister anticipate it will take the government to analyse the responses and issue a final strategy?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (14:54): Let me thank the honourable member for his question. Post the Oakden report being handed down by the Chief Psychiatrist, the government has been hard at work trying to establish its response to the recommendations that came out of the Oakden report. I am very grateful for the services of Dr Tom Stubbs, who is assisting the government in regard to the Oakden report.

There are a number of recommendations that are of particular significance. One of the significant ones of course is making sure that we come up with a model of care that not only will give the community confidence generally that there is an appropriate response in place following Oakden, but more importantly will ensure that we are actually delivering a standard of care for older people suffering mental health issues generally. That process is in train and the honourable member is right to refer to the fact that we have engaged in a public consultation process regarding the proposed model of care.

I am more than happy to take on notice the question regarding how many responses we have had to the public consultation. I do not have that information at hand, but I am more than happy to seek that information and take that question on notice.