A new report into the delivery of mental health support in Western Australia's regional communities has called for an urgent review of current funding models and has shed light on poor mental health outcomes and lack of support in communities outside Perth.
"Life can be harder outside of metropolitan centres and there are gaps in supports available that address a holistic range of needs."
Lisette Kaleveld, Researcher at The Centre for Social Impact, UWA
Going the distance: Making mental health support work better for regional communities was prepared by researchers at The Centre for Social Impact at The University of Western Australia and the Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH), who jointly visited communities across three regions of the State.
The report includes personal, heartfelt stories to produce an authentic description of mental health support needs, and variations in experiences across diverse regional centres and remote towns.
Recommendations for change include an urgent review of current funding models and investing in building on local strengths and capacity over unsustainable drive-in drive-out models; the return of decision-making to communities directly receiving support services; and a 'place-based' approach to mental health support that addresses the unique context and needs of communities.
Researcher Lisette Kaleveld, from The Centre for Social Impact, said one-size-fits-all approaches to mental health support were failing regional communities.
"There are no specific solutions that can be implemented across regional WA without detailed consultation and understanding of the characteristics, needs and dynamics of the local context," Ms Kaleveld said.
"Life can be harder outside of metropolitan centres and there are gaps in supports available that address a holistic range of needs, encompassing, for example, social connections, financial security and physical wellbeing."
WAAMH CEO Taryn Harvey said the report underlined the need for more dedicated planning and investment in regional health.
"Regional communities don't expect service provision to look the same in their communities as it might in the cities — they want investment to build on their strengths and capabilities," Ms Harvey said.
"Funding needs to be sustained — it needs to be secure and dependable, and it needs to continue – rather than being short-term and ever changing."
