THE Mental Health Community Coalition ACT says it welcomes increased funding for suicide prevention and mental health services in the ACT Budget, but it isn’t enough.

“The funding commitments provide only patches to the current system without addressing growing service gaps and the dire need for systemic change in the mental health sector,” says acting CEO Corinne Dobson.

“As the ACT continues to respond to and recover from COVID-19, now more than ever, supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our community must be a priority.

“This year’s Budget provides some welcome announcements, especially in community-based suicide prevention, and the expansion of perinatal mental health initiatives and services for children and young people. This funding will help efforts to reduce distress and vulnerability to suicide at a time when children and young people face heightened challenges to mental health and wellbeing.

“However, the scale of investment falls well below what is needed to plug the gaps in community mental health services, let alone lay the foundations for much-needed system reform and future growth in demand.

“The ACT government has committed to reducing reliance on crisis-driven acute mental health care and acknowledged that this needs strong community mental health programs. However, that will not be achieved by the piecemeal investments in the Budget.

“Continuing to make one-off investments in an already fragmented system is unlikely to result in a comprehensive system of integrated care that Canberrans living with mental health conditions need.”

She says the Budget also fails to recognise the urgent need for significant systemic change to address identified gaps in psychosocial support services and early intervention, or the workforce shortages in the mental health sector. Ms Dobson said.

“This is a missed opportunity to invest in the holistic, community-managed services that would keep the pressure off hospitals long-term by providing the proverbial fence at the top of the cliff,” Ms Dobson said.