Mental health service to be established

A NEW, free mental health and wellbeing local service will soon be up and running in the region and staff are aiming to provide support to people whose needs might otherwise go unmet.  

Mind Australia general manager North West Victoria, John Bamborough, said factors like cost of living pressures, domestic violence and relationship issues, and homelessness were all driving the need for mental health support in the region. 

“The Greater Bendigo-Loddon-Campaspe Local will make a real difference in the community and will help remove a lot of the barriers to what can be a very complex mental health system,” he said. 

“Driven by lived experience expertise, and local community need, the Greater Bendigo-Loddon-Campaspe Local will implement a ‘how can we help’ and ‘no wrong door’ approach to enable more people to access the support they need, when they need it.”  

“People will be able to self-refer and there is no eligibility criteria to access support.  

“You don’t need a referral from your GP, you can ring up or walk in and be connected to a Mind community mental health or peer practitioner with a lived experience of mental health and wellbeing challenges.” 

The 2021 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System found that the gap between what service need and what was provided in the 2019-2020 financial year was 3.3 million hours. 

Mind Australia’s chief executive officer Gill Calister commended the State Government for acting on the Royal Commission’s recommendations. 

“Accessible community-based support like this can make all the difference in helping people address problems before they reach crisis point and hospitalisation,” said Ms Calister. 

“We will be working with a fantastic range of support organisations so that people in need of mental health and wellbeing support can get the right mix of services to meet their needs.” 

Victorian Minister for Mental Health, Ingrid Stitt, said the Royal Commission revealed a range of impediments to people being able to reach mental health support. 

“That is why our Locals are a critically important ‘front door’ to getting them the help they need,” she said. 

Mind Australia will be working with a range of health, First Nations, LGBITQ+ groups to run the Greater Bendigo-Loddon-Campaspe Mental Health and Wellbeing Local service.