Next week, at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) meet for the RANZCP 2023 Congress on the theme of “New Horizons: Connected Futures”
Delegates have been invited to reflect on how interconnectedness is a strength; and connections with each other in personal and professional lives, connections with the diverse cultures in communities, and connection to place with First Nations people.
Looking forward delegates have been asked to consider the next horizon in biological psychiatry and the delivery of evidence-based treatments. They have been asked to consider how the criminal justice system, mental healthcare system, disability sector and drug and alcohol services are interwoven and how to provide care that is integrated, and person centred.
Australian Health Journal spoke to current President-Elect Dr Elizabeth Moore and soon to be President, RANZCP about the Congress, as well as the recent Federal Budget announcements around mental health funding.
The RANZCP has welcomed a number of measures:
- $260.2 million over two years from 2023–24 to extend Commonwealth psychosocial supports for people with severe mental illness who are not in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
- $0.9 million over two years from 2022–23 to develop a 10 Year National Action Plan to support the health and wellbeing of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Asexual (LGBTIQA+) people and establish a LGBTIQA+ Health Advisory Group.
- $40.0 million over 4 years from 2023–24 to establish the National Clinical Quality Registry Program for tracking the safety and performance of treatments and devices, thereby improving performance reporting for clinicians and hospitals.
- $4.9 billion over 5 years from 2022–23 (with $1.3 billion per year ongoing) to increase support for people receiving working age payments including the JobSeeker Payment. As noted in the College’s submission to the Senate Inquiry into poverty in Australia, we urged for an increase to the allowance rate for Australians accessing government-funded payments, including JobSeeker.
However, while there are some positive measures for mental health, RANZCP believe funding has been weighted to wellbeing initiatives and primary care. Australians experiencing the most serious mental health conditions, with severe, complex and chronic presentations have missed out on vital support in this year’s Federal Budget.
A particular group of concern is children. Around 3 in 4 children with a severe mental health disorder are missing out on critical support, according to Dr Moore.
Out of the 80,000 children in Australian with a severe mental health condition, only 22,000 are currently being seen by a psychiatrist, stating the case that more child and adolescent psychiatrists are needed to meet the needs of children.
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A New Era in Primary Health Care Nursing
Coinciding with this year’s International Nurses Day, this week’s Federal Budget has had some significant outcomes for the primary health care, nursing workforce.
The Federal Budget delivered on 9th May 2023, APNA believes will strengthen Australia’s primary health care (PHC) system by addressing growing nursing shortages, seeing more nurses hired where they are needed, and better utilising the largest workforce in PHC of nearly 100,000 nurses to their full potential to reduce the pressure on the health system.
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Upskilling & empowering Health Professionals to support preconception to pre-school level health
A new podcast series, developed by Health and Wellbeing Queensland, is designed to upskill and empower health professionals in their support of parents from preconception through to the pre-school years.
Clinician’s Guide to the First 2000 Days follows the success of Health and Wellbeing Queensland’s first podcast series Clinician’s Guide to Healthy Kids, launched in 2023. Both focus on supporting health professionals to have effective conversations on positive health behaviours.
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Integrating oral health care across non-dental professionals
Poor oral health can contribute to or exacerbate several systemic health conditions due to the close connection between oral bacteria, inflammation, and systemic processes. These conditions include cardiovascular health, diabetes, respiratory health, cognitive health, pregnancy and birth outcomes.
