Reform Submission Presented

As reported in the last edition of the newsletter the Victorian Government has
committed to major reform of the states mental health system.
Barrier Breakers Inc has taken full opportunity to provide input into this reform process
and has presented a detailed submission to the Government, which details the state of
mental health services in the Gippsland region.
Our submission draws heavily on the results of our resent research into the extent and
effectiveness of mental health services in Gippsland.
We also provided evidence from some case studies, which demonstrated failings in the
system.
Barrier breakers Inc intends to provide further input into the reform process following the
completion of a current case study project that is being funded by the Mental Health
Council of Australia

People Telling the Story

The Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) has funded Barrier Breakers Inc to
undertake a case study into the experiences where the mental health services in Gipp-
sland have failed to meet peoples needs.

This project will compliment the research that Barrier Breakers Inc recently undertook
into the extent and effectiveness of mental health services in Gippsland which was
funded by the Reichstein Foundation.

We have carefully selected a number of people and organisations , who have con-
sented to tell the story of their experiences with the mental health system.

This material will be carefully researched and analysed and our report of the work
along with recommendations will be put to the State Government for consideration
under their mental health reform process.

VALUABLE RESEARCH INTO MENTAL HEALTH

An all party committee of the Victorian Parliament offers a ray of hope for those unfortunate people who struggle to find adequate housing.

The Family and Community Development Committee is undertaking an inquiry into supported accommodation for Victorians with a disability and or mental illness.
The Committee is looking into issues, such as the standard, range and adequacy of care and accommodation currently available, the appropriateness of the current service providers, how unmet need is managed in Victoria, accessibility and appropriateness of accommodation for rural communities, ethnically diverse communities, indigenous Victorians, and the impact of the current service provision on families and carers.
Supported accommodation models and services have changed considerably over the years. Initially people with a disability or mental illness were institutionalised. The first major changes to this took place during the 1960s to 1980 when deinstitutionalisation and mainstream reforms occurred.
By the mid 1990s to 2000, the Victorian Government decommissioned the remaining psychiatric institutions and the majority of the institutions for people with a disability and replaced these services with mainstream health services. With the closure of institutions, new area based disability and mental health services, providing local inpatient, residential and community based care were introduced.

Barrier Breakers Inc will be presenting a submission to the enquiry and will also be appearing before the committee at its public hearing, scheduled to be held in Traralgon on 21 October. If anyone has an experience that they wish to be included in Barrier Breakers Inc submission, please contact our office on 5174 4588

Barrier Breakers Inc Board Member Profile Dr Daryl Ham

Dr. Daryl Ham graduated from Melbournes Monash University in 1978 and spent much of his early years as a Doctor working in a number of small hospitals as the resident Medical Officer.
Having a special interest in psychiatry, Daryl began work in psychiatry a Medical Officer in the Plenty Hospital in 1983 and in 1988 he entered a training program and degree in psychiatric medicine. Unfortunately, while the program was later abandoned, Dr. Ham became the first Doctor in Victoria to work on the crisis team (CATT Team), where he held the position for three years in the North East Metro region.
Moving to Gippsland in 1994, Dr. Ham commenced work at the former Hobson Park Psychiatric Hospital as a Senior Medical Officer, where he served two 12 month terms. He also commenced his work in general practice, first working part time until the closure of the Hobson Park facility. Currently, Daryl s workload is shared between General Practice and the Latrobe Valley Community Mental Health Service, where he provides four sessions per week as a Senior Medical Officer.

Time for Service

The Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) has released a paper titled Time for service which is the first of a series of MHCA papers presenting solutions to Australia's mental health crisis.
It presents practical solutions that governments should fund and implement now through the council of Australian Governments (CoAG). The solutions proposed aim to deliver new pathways to new services, other flexibility and choice, and make a real difference to people with mental illness and their carers.
The state of mental health services in Australia has been well documented, included in the Mental Health Council of Australia s own Not for Service Report and most recently by the report of the a Senate Committee of Inquiry entitled that a lack of investment and accountability following deinstitutionalisation has led to a crisis in public confidence because people cannot access the mental health services when they need them.
There is a massive under-investment in mental health services mental health is responsible for 13% of the burden of disease but attracts only 7% of the health budget.
Indicators of the crisis are that :

20% of the Australian population will experience mental illness. This has a profound affect on the whole
community.
Two thirds of people with a mental illness do not receive any treatment in any twelve month period

There is unprecedented pressure on all parts of the mental health system , particularly access to acute care
beds and access block in hospitals emergency departments.

There is an increasing homelessness among people with a mental illness with reports indicating that up to85% of homeless people have a mental illness.

Rates of suicide for men aged <75 years tripled in the thirty years from 1960-1990.

Seclusion and restraint still feature in our mental health system.

People with mental illness are grossly over-represented in our prisons.

Depression alone accounts for six million full work days lost per year.

Less than 30% of people with a disability due to mental illness participate in the workforce. This is less than
half the rate of comparable OECD countries

Change of Rules Agreed

At the recent Annual General Meeting members voted unanimously to change the rules of Barrier Breakers Inc to en- able the corporatization of the organi- zation.
The change of the rules provides for a more efficient business like structure with greater governance controls. The Committee is replaced by a Board of Directors and the Secretary/Public Officer becoming Chief Executive Officer of the Association.
The need for the Rule change was identified at the 2007 Annual General Meeting and the then Committee instructed the Secretary to pursue the matter.
Melbourne lawyers Blake Dawson agreed to draft the rule changes on a pro-bono basis. The amended rules have now been submitted to the Registrar of Incorporated Association for approval. Our thanks go to Blake Dawson for their continued support of Barrier Breakers.

Thankyou Lyn Douglas

On behalf on the former Committee, the new Board of Directors and all of Barrier
Breakers Inc members we would like to thank Lyn of her time on the Barrier Breakers
Inc Committee. Due to ill health Lyn did not re-elect for the Board this year. A
co-founder of Barrier Breakers Inc, Lynette Douglas has been a mental health carer for
the past 25 years and has vast experience in the care and treatment of people who
suffer chronic mental illnesses. She also serves the community as the Assistant
Secretary of Gippsland Carers Association and has extensive experience in letter-
writing and lobby activities. Being a Mother of 4, Grandmother of 11 and Great
Grandmother of 9, Lyn is certainly the epitome of carers. Lyn will remain a member of
Barrier Breakers Inc and as always she is willing to share with us her wealth of
knowledge and experience. Thank you Lyn

Barrier Breakers Inc Board Member Profile Neville Penrose

Neville was raised on a beef property at Glenburn near Yea in NE Victoria. He has tertiary qualifications in Agricultural Science, Geomorphology and Environ- mental Science, is a Graduate of the Gippsland Community Leadership Program, a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed Depart- ment of Justice Mediation training.
He joined the Victorian Public Service with the Soil conservation Authority in the early 1970s. He was conscripted to fulfil National Service obligations with the Australian Army 1971-1973.
Following study leave from 1974-1977 he resumed work with SCA and has since worked in the VPS in field advisory, planning and management roles. Neville has worked in every Region of the State including a period in Head Office. With the formation of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) he became the Catchment and Agriculture Services (CAS) Manager for Gippsland. With the split of NRE into the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Neville became the Community Relation- ship Manager in DPI CAS. In 2005 he was appointed to the Regional Water Manager role in DSE and after long periods of Acting in the Regional Manager/Regional Director role, was appointed as Regional Director for DSE in Gippsland in April 2006. With climate change demanding response from governments, Neville is now headingat DSE, which is examining the impact of sea level rise on our coast line.