Mental Health Services

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:41): Thank you, Mr President—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, leader! The Hon. Jing Lee will be heard in silence.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing about health. Will the minister update the council on mental health services in South Australia?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:41): I welcome the increased investment in mental health from the commonwealth through this week's budget, and we are very keen to work with the commonwealth to make sure that the range of services in South Australia complement each other to maximise the benefit to South Australians.

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: An example of such collaboration is the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre here in Adelaide. It is the first in a series of similar centres being funded by the commonwealth around Australia. Whilst the centre has been operating for less than three months, there is certainly positive feedback about the progress being made. Opportunities to grow the service will be explored in the future.

In this regard, I acknowledge the question earlier this week from the Hon. Tammy Franks in relation to what some of the indications are in terms of demand. I am pleased to be able to say that yesterday, whilst it was not a record, saw a high number of presentations—10 presentations to the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre.

Since the opening of the centre in early March, it has provided care to nearly 300 South Australians with mental health needs. Of course, not every day has seen such high activity, and as I commented earlier in the week it is interesting to note in this regard that often the busier days in the system see fewer referrals, as we fear that when the system is under pressure staff often do not fully engage in alternative pathways.

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Importantly, however, because of the strict referral criteria, every single South Australian who receives care at the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre would otherwise have been taken to an ED, so we know that this is reducing pressure on our EDs.

As an example of the positive feedback we have received, I would like to quote feedback from a consumer as follows:

The guest rang today to say her experience at UMHCC was extremely positive, she felt valued and heard. She said the care and support she received has changed her emotional state from victim to survivor. She was very thankful for this service and believes it not only helped on the immediate front, but also put her on to a different path of thinking.

It is still early days for the UMHCC. Additionally, not only has it not been open for a full three months yet, there is more need for the service to settle and be evaluated. There is significant unused capacity, and we are keen to work with Neami to continue to grow referrals.

It is interesting that, in this regard, the opposition has called for an increase in hours in the centre. Just this year, prior to its opening, Labor was out criticising the centre as privatisation, and now they want this so-called privatisation increased. Their hypocrisy is breathtaking.