In March this year CHF undertook a consumer survey on mental health services to hear from people with lived experiences about how the current health service system works for them. In that survey we asked about people’s experience of care, from a system integration and patient centred perspective and asked for ideas about how it could be improved. We used the results of this survey to inform our submission to the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into mental health services. The results from that survey echoed the evidence to the Reference Group and from a plethora of other reports on mental health service provision that there is a need to improve access to services and provide more choice. We agree that more needs to be done to help people access services closer to where they live and to make those services affordable.

Read the CHF Response to the Report from the Mental Health Reference Group

Thirty years following the creation of Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS), a review is long overdue. CHF members believe that this review and a commitment to the regular evaluation of Medicare items is an essential to maintaining a world class health system and ensuring that funding is available for high value care. CHF supports most of the recommendations made by this Reference Group to position AHPs to take on a greater role in keeping Australians healthy. The Main Themes that the Group has outlined address the challenges that consumers face in accessing allied health services as part of an MBS funded plan or otherwise.