Mental Health Services

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (14:55): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Health and Wellbeing a question about mental health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: As part of yesterday's budget, the government announced an 'unprecedented' $163.5 million commitment to mental health over the next four years. It claimed the funds would help South Australians seeking urgent and ongoing mental health care and would also help ease the pressure currently being experienced by our public hospital EDs.

While the additional funding is a positive step, clinicians warn it is nowhere near enough to meet current demand, with one highly respected mental health expert believing the budget needs to be doubled. Clinicians also warn the increased funding does not address the forecast spike in demand for mental health services over the next three to five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My question to the minister is:

1. In terms of a percentage increase, what does the $163.5 million over four years represent to current annual expenditure?

2. What is the government financial commitment this year to mental health services, and what are the annual increases over the next four years?

3. Do you agree the $163.5 million over the next four years represents only a 40¢ per person increase for every South Australian?

4. Do you believe this is enough, given the fears of clinicians?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:57): I must admit I don't aspire to be Treasurer, but if it's $163 million and we have 1.7 million citizens, it's more than 40¢ a citizen. In terms of the detailed questions about the forward estimates and the like that the honourable member asks, I will certainly come back with the answers. It is a question in the nature of an estimates question.

I think it is important to appreciate that the investment in this year's budget in relation to mental health is part of a plan, unlike when we came to government—there was no plan in relation to mental health. After a six-year hiatus, the Marshall Liberal government in November 2019 committed to a Mental Health Services Plan, which laid down a way forward in relation to mental health.

Initiatives such as the crisis stabilisation centre which was announced yesterday are part of that plan. A number of elements of the investment yesterday are part of that plan. So just as we are—what are we?—about two years in to the Mental Health Services Plan, each year we are making investments to deliver that plan. We will continue to make investments.

I think it is really important to appreciate the origins of the Mental Health Services Plan. It was heavily based on the Mental Health Strategic Plan, which had been developed by the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist in cooperation with the Mental Health Commission. It was thoroughly consulted, both the strategic plan and the services plan. It represents the best efforts of the mental health leadership in this state to put down a plan in terms of the way forward.

I think it would be fair to say that a number of the comments of mental health advocates have not reflected what I would describe as a very balanced, broad approach in the Mental Health Services Plan. I personally do not support a lurch away from that plan. I believe that we need to make sure we have a balance between acute services and other services.

In that context, I was delighted to speak to one of the mental health leaders in our state earlier today and they were explaining to me how they think the crisis stabilisation centre in the north will be extremely useful in easing pressure in our emergency departments and in the hospitals themselves. One of the key reasons was because it's a 24-hour centre and it's an opportunity to divert people, people who have significant mental health needs but don't need acute inpatient care.

Similarly in this budget, the government is continuing to invest in the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre in Adelaide. That, too, will go to 24 hours. What this clinician was saying to me was that people don't just have their mental health challenge between 9 and 5. To be frank, if they do have a day-time onset of mental health challenges, the system is better able to cope. There are more people, if you like, there are more hands on deck during the day time. He said the particular challenge is in the evening and the morning.

Not only will our ED departments continue to be available to South Australians with mental health challenges but also these Urgent Mental Health Care Centres, one step down from the level of acuity that people need in terms of potential inpatient admission, will be, I believe, a great boon to easing the pressure on emergency departments and delivering quality care to South Australians with mental health challenges.