Listening and responding to local needs through a holistic mental illness program

For people living with a complex mental illness, support is often disjointed and short-term, which can hinder recovery and ongoing management.

South East Melbourne’s 2020-2025 Regional Plan found that three percent of people in south east Melbourne live with a severe mental illness which requires treatment. SEMPHN’s recent Health Needs Assessment also found that high rates of mental health-related emergency department presentations occur in the our region. In addition, intentional self-harm hospitalisations are higher in our catchment compared to Victoria, for men in all age categories and women aged 25 years and over.

To address the fragmented treatment approach and reduce demand on hospitals, SEMPHN developed and launched the Mental Health Integrated Complex Care (MHICC) program in 2018. MHICC is a holistic program which offers care coordination, clinical nursing services, family support and improved access to psychiatrists and psychologists over an extended period (6-12 months) for people living with severe mental illness and complex needs, and who are at risk of hospitalisation. The program is free of charge and delivered by four providers (First Step, Mentis Assist, Mind Australia and Better Health Network) across south east Melbourne.

At the start of 2023, two providers responded to local needs by piloting new components to the program. Better Health Network introduced a lived experience peer worker within their MHICC program to help clients connect with others who have faced similar challenges, and Mind Australia employed a Dual Diagnosis Practitioner to support people with both mental illness and ongoing difficulties with drugs or alcohol misuse. 

Mellisa, a lived experience peer worker at Better Health Network, says her complex history places her in the unique position to empathise and engage with consumers who have ‘bounced’ around services and/or had difficulty starting or maintaining their recovery.

The person-centred and holistic approach of the program has provided people with the skills to manage their mental illness when leaving the program, as well as a support network around them for more challenging times.

David* had accessed multiple mental health services both in community and hospital over the last 10 years. David’s engagement with clinicians was very sporadic and he noted he would often only engage because he felt forced rather than understood. Accessing MHICC and speaking to someone who ‘gets it’ has made a huge difference in his recovery journey.

Since launching in 2018, the Mental Health Integrated Complex Care (MHICC) program has seen:

The MHICC program is a great example of how SEMPHN responds to emerging health needs by listening to consumers and changing service models to suit them.

*A pseudonym has been used in this story to protect the identity of clients.