Online Tutoring on Mental Health Department Australia

1. Introduction

The report is intended to focus on the working of four basic human factors in the health care department in Victoria. For simplicity Mental Health Care department in Victoria has been selected and will be analyzed with the factors such as

  • Leadership and support to practitioners, clinicians and other health professionals.
  • Transparent and clear role for practitioners in service and patient safety and quality.
  • Effective communication between practitioners and patients.
  • Effective communication within the organization or sector.

Working in a Mental health care centers are complex, the environments and patients of these service centers usually have critical illness that requires considered treatment attention and support (Dianne, McGowan, & Downie, 2000). This report has been developed to provide assistance to all the clinical staff entering or working in the clinical mental health services in Victoria.

The document is divided into three main sections: in first section a brief introduction and overview of the organization is given, in the second part four human factors listed above will be discussed and analyzed and in the last part recommendations and conclusion will be provided for maintenance and improvement of the department (Bedirhan & Sartorius, 2005).

1.1 Overview of the Mental Health Department Australia

The reform of mental health care services Australia is recognized internationally as the leader. Australia’s mental health strategy involves the national mental health policy, related publications and subsequent plans. It is the duty of all states and territories to work continuously towards the national priorities and deliver a regular feedback on achievements (Graham, 2005).

To improve the wellbeing of all Victorians the Government of Victoria on 1st of January 2015 created the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to incorporate the human and health services programs and policies. DHHS covers the problems related with planning, funding, policy development and regulation of health activities and services that protect and promote Victorians health. This contains providing services of aged care and mental health issues services.

1.1.1 Mental Health Department Victoria

Victorian mental health care plan foundation is one of the oldest mental health organizations in Australia, which was established back in 1930. It is an association of sufferers, professionals, families of the sufferers or caretakers (Sweeney & Hazell, 2006). Victoria’s mental health foundation is a part of the national and also the international mental health movement.

“Vision that Victoria will have a high quality, sustainable and competent specialist mental health workforce”

1.1.2 Victorian Mental Health reforms

The Government of Victoria has undertaken a program of reform for the human and health service sectors in particular with the relation to mental health care and treatment, since 2010. Development and workforce planning for Victoria’s professional mental health sector will bring into line and support all these significant reform agendas (Maggy, Baghurst, Baghurst, Kosky, & Nurcombe, 2000).

1.1.3 Health Policies and Strategies

To date, three national mental health policies and plans have been there:

  • The first plan was introduced in 1992-93 to 1997–98 the prime focus was on deinstitutionalization and bringing up a community based mental health awareness system. The mental health services were incorporated in general hospitals and some other health sectors (Harvey, Jack, & White, 2005). The basic motive behind was to make an easy access of mental health services for the patients and decrease the huge stigma that is linked with mental illness.
  • Second plan was introduced in 1997-98 to 2002-03. In this plan the agenda of first plan was continued and its focus was broadened to address increasingly high prevalence of disorders such as anxiety and depression. The plan prioritized the promotion of mental health issues, relapse prevention, early intervention and illness prevention. The plan emphasized the need to reinforce the services for specific patients such as
  • People with mental illness and coexisting substance.
  • Intellectual disability and coexisting mental illness.
  • Coordinating other support and health services with mental health to meet the multiple needs of consumers.
  • 2003-08 third plan was introduced with a commitment to continue the refining services and sketches four priorities: preventing mental health problems and promoting mental health, strengthening quality of service, increasing service responsiveness, fostering innovation, research and sustainability (Dianne, McGowan, & Downie, 2000).

2. Victorian Mental Health Service System

The figure given below depicts the working of the victoria’s mental health service system. The approach is to make sure that all the consumers receive a similar range and type of services from their entry to discharge (Derrick, Steel, & Watters, 2013).

Leadership and support to practitioners, clinicians and other health professionals

One of the basic goals of the mental health care department of Victoria is to foster positive working and learning environment with strong and solid leadership and support to practitioners. According to Ritsuko, et al(2011) effective leadership and support are the fundamentals of any organization. Victorian mental health care department has a very well organized system of leadership they work by setting the agendas for the clinicians and practitioners, departmental priorities are influenced, motivate the staff by giving them incentives and keeping them engaged, assign and define their responsibilities or roles, allocate proper resources and set clear and define targets to achieve success.

Mental health services with effective and active leadership have better and smooth organizational performance says, Sarah(2005). As the staff engagement is increased the probability of errors are reduced with lower mortality rates and infections, staff morale is greater, financial management is strong and reduces absenteeism.

The leadership strategy of Victorians mental health care services is based on the leadership capability framework of the ‘UK National Health Service’ leadership qualities framework. The strategy provides departmental activities for the improvement of health service centers. A four year plan is set by Johnston, Teesson, & Burgess(2009), acording to that  the strategy which identifies five major priority areas such as developing capabilities of leadership of individuals and groups, organizational approach to leadership, resources and tools, strategic partnership, and tools and resources. A range of programs and approaches are used under this strategy to support the leadership development of Victoria’s publicly funded health services.

The strategy:

  • Foster a culture of innovation
  • Supports leadership development and skills
  • Inspires all leaders to share knowledge and support each other
  • Develops professional networks

This strategy aims at developing a shared view of the capabilities and skills of leaders at varied levels and roles in health care services in Victoria.

Transparent and clear role for practitioners in service and patient safety and quality.

Mental health is not an area that depends on high and modern technology equipment, as compared to some other departments of health care. Working in any mental health center is only about people. According to Graham(2005) the most advanced and up to date technology is their staff. The primary tools are the knowledge, attitudes, personal qualities and skills that the practitioners and clinicians bring to the job.  Thus it is very necessary to have cleared and define goals in order to provide their customers with the best possible services and technology they have.

Victorian mental health service provides the workforce with the essential abilities and support to provide recovery oriented best practice care. They aim at defining transparent and clear roles for practitioners in order to maintain patient safety and quality. The roles of individuals are more strongly align and they are expected to work with agreed capabilities and carer outcomes said by, Ian, Groom, McGorry, Davenport, & Luscombe(2005). Clinical responsibilities of all the practitioners and clinicians are clearly defined to prevent any uncertainty and role confusion.

For the practitioners and clinicians of Victoria’s mental health service, quality and safety is the integral part. Clinicians and services are continuously seeking ways to maintain safe working environment and improve practice. The principle they are working on is that safe and better quality service with effective and active practice leads to an improved carer outcomes and consumers, along with the improved well-being of the staff. The basic concept of safety and quality is simply having defined and transparent roles and wanting to do positive and effective job (Bedirhan & Sartorius, 2005).

According to the Evaluation and Quality Improvement Program Survey, there are eleven standards that covers all aspects of the national standards for mental health services, these are: safety, rights, promoting community acceptance, consumer and carer participation, confidentiality and privacy, carer and consumer participation, promotion and prevention of mental health, integration of services, cultural awareness, documentation, service development, delivery of from the point of entry to exit.

Victoria’s strategy for safety and quality

The safety and quality strategy of Victorian mental health services provides a plan and framework for the development of high quality, safe mental health system. Practicing and working safely is a very critical feature of maintaining quality (Sarah, 2005). As people are mentally not stable so they can respond in any unpredictable way. The clinicians, practitioners and the environments of mental health service needs to be prepared to respond and predict appropriately to violence, aggression and risk. A quick and timely response to any risk and maintaining the high standards of workplace safety are the mutual responsibilities of clinicians and services. All the services are likely to have activities and structures in place in order to promote quality and safety of practice, and the improvement of system and accountability said by Rrnoald(2000). In Victoria public mental health services have certain processes and a safety and quality coordinator who examine service and practice delivery to determine that what areas are working properly and what areas might need some improvement.

Effective communication between practitioners and patients

By the research conducted by Scott, Andrews, & Hall(2000)     mental health services are largely required to involve their patients and practitioners in effective communication with each other. In that way a shared and mutual understanding between practitioners and patients can be developed about the major issues that need to be addressed and administered from the mental health services. The effective communication can result in more reactive management and decision making practices and improving the quality of care thus increasing the confidence of community in services.

Victorian mental health services make sure that they keep an informal and easy process of communication between their practitioners and patients. According to Anthony, Korten, & Rodgers(2006) some of the basic points that is the part of their effective communication process are: Support patients perspectives to be counted in and valued in all parts of mental health cares, and communicating the broad opinions of the patients with mental health departments and some other relevant departments.

The process of communication starts from the time patient is taken in Victorian mental health cares. The aim of effective communication is to obtain as much information that is necessary to assess the level and type of service response and treatment is required. Communication during the intake process is a clinical function and usually involves a face to face assessment either at the mental health services, patient’s own environment, or in another environment. The process of communication may vary between adolescent, child, adult or aged group services, and between rural and metropolitan services says Graham(2005). Intake communication is considered to be the starting point of delivering services and it is the stage where patients are registered with the hospital.

Under the treatment and recovery planning of Victorian mental health services, effective communication plays a vital role. For mentally unstable and ill patients proper means of communication is considered to be very significant. Patients’ needs are assessed and valued in a number of active, brief and regular communications. Other family members and the care providers of the patients are also a part of this communication process (Johnston, Teesson, & Burgess, 2009).

Patients with mental illness also have same rights that any other normal member of the community. As mostly they are unable to understand a lot of things, their rights are sometimes curtailed. So according to the mental health  Act of 1986 those patients who are mentally ill must also be given a verbal clarification of any piece of information that is related to them, in a language or method of communication that is easily understandable for such patients.

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