Mental health budget

NSW Budget 2024-25

The budget for mental health services in 2024-25 is $2.9 billion. This focuses on improving the lives of people living in NSW with mental illness by delivering better care in hospital and making supports available for them, their families and carers, in the community.

Key mental health programs and initiatives

Increased Staff for Community Mental Health

• $30.4 million over 4 years from 2024-2025 to expand community mental health teams across targeted areas, including regional NSW.   These additional staff will enhance community-based services and support people living with complex mental illness every year.  These teams work within Local Health Districts and speciality health networks caring for those who experience persistent complex mental illness.  This funding will provide a workforce boost of approximately 35 additional mental health professional positions including mental health liaison positions to work with the Department of Communities and Justice to link people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, who are accessing mental health services to housing and help them sustain tenancies.
  
  A new assertive adult community mental health team will be established at St Vincent's Hospital Network.  This will allow them to increase their support for those facing complex needs, including people experiencing homelessness, substance misuse issues and those at risk of engagement with the criminal justice system.

Pathways to Community Living Initiative (PCLI)

• $40 million over 4 years from 2024-2025 for the Pathways to Community Living Initiative (PCLI) focused on supporting alternatives to long term hospital care for people with complex needs, who have persistent mental illness. 
  
  This will fund a complex care clinical workforce of over 25 professionals who will support patients through this program.

Single Front Door

• $39.9 million over 4 years from 2024-2025 to strengthen mental health services by establishing a new Mental Health Single Front Door, delivered through Healthdirect, currently provides virtual GP, virtual KIDS and Urgent Care Services. This funding will allow this service to be expanded to allow those in need of mental health support to call Healthdirect and receive assessment advice from specialist clinicians and be connected with the appropriate services.
  
  The Mental Health Single Front Door provides an alternative to attending a busy Emergency Department enabling more appropriate care through a community mental health service with all the appropriate supports.  The Mental Health Single Front Door has been developed in consultation with carers, mental health professionals, a range of service providers, and those who may use the service.

Mental Health Review Tribunal

• The Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT) will receive an additional $2.4million over 4 years enabling digitisation of records, an upgrade to IT systems, and investment in a new case management system.  These system improvements will support the MHRT to meet continued growth in patients and hearings.
  
  The MHRT plays a critical role in keeping people safe in the community through the conduct of mental health inquiries, making and reviewing orders, and hearing appeals about the treatment and care of people with a mental illness.