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Service Mapping
Rapid Phone Survey of Community
Organisations Delivering
Mental Health and Suicide
Prevention Services in the
Central Queensland, Wide Bay,
Sunshine Coast PHN catchment
2
CONTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... 3
Background and Objectives of Service Mapping ........................................................................... 5
Rapid Phone Survey—Methods .................................................................................................... 5
Survey Sample ............................................................................................................................... 7
MH Service Providers .................................................................................................................... 8
Community MH Services Delivered ............................................................................................. 11
Staff Delivering MH Services ....................................................................................................... 20
Funding for MH Services ............................................................................................................. 24
Knowledge of Stepped Care Model ............................................................................................. 26
3
In total, 60 community providers participated
in the MH survey. Out of these, 33 serve the
Sunshine Coast area, 28 operate in Wide Bay
and 17 in Central Queensland. Over a quarter
of MH providers (17) operate across more than
one regional area.
The majority of organisations delivering MH
services have been operating for more than 11
years (32 out of 60) and consider MH as their
primary focus of activities (40 out of 60).
Excluding bed-based, on-line and phone
services, most services (40 out of 60) operate
during standard business hours.
MH providers – on average – have relatively
small staffing levels with 40% (24 out of 60)
reporting between 1 to 5 mental health
treatment staff. Only six providers reported
more than 31 staff members, with 5 of them
located in the Sunshine Coast area.
Certificate II or IV was reported as the most
common qualification amongst MH staff by 15
(out of 55) organisations, followed by other
professionals (reported by 12 out of 55
providers).
The majority of providers receive
Commonwealth funding (42 out of 60) and 28
receive state government funding for the
delivery of MH services. Philanthropic financing
was reported by 10 providers, private funding
by nine and only five providers reported
funding from State government.
Most MH providers deliver community support
(56 out of 60), treatment (50 out of 60) and
preventative services (41 out of 60).
Community bed-based services are offered by
nine organisations, most of them operating in
the Wide Bay area.
Out of 56 community support service providers
in the PHN catchment, 47 offer programs
helping people access and maintain social
activities, 39 support independent living skills,
37 deliver carer support, 34 housing support,
and only 10 of them offer flexible respite
programmes.
The survey identified 9 community support
service providers already registered with NDIS,
while 26 reported intentions to register.
On average every month in the PHN
catchment:
36 providers deliver care coordination
services to 1,619 clients
35 organisations deliver suicide risk
detection and treatment services to
1,161 clients
26 providers offer peer support to 1,070
clients
35 providers deliver 4,386 occasions of
service for face-to-face therapy
32 organisations offer 969 sessions of
group therapy
26 organisations deliver 1,081 occasions
of service for over-the-phone counselling
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A rapid phone survey of community organisations delivering mental health and suicide
prevention (MH) and alcohol and other drug treatment (AoD) services was undertaken during
August—September 2016. It collected basic information about providers and the services they
deliver in the PHN catchment.
4
However, a relative small number of MH
provides account for a relatively large
percentage of community MH treatment
services in the PHN catchment:
65% of clients of suicide risk detection
and treatment services receive services
from four (out of 35) providers
62% of face-to-face therapy sessions are
delivered by one provider
57% of peer support clients in the PHN
catchment receive services from three –
out of 26 – providers
49% of occasions of service of over the
phone counselling are provided by three
– out of 26– organisations
36% of clients of care coordination
services receive services from four – out
of 36 – providers
Out of 60 survey respondents, 33 never heard
or did not know much about the stepped care
approach to MH, while 17 noted they are
familiar with it and 10 know its implications.
5
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF MAPPING In the context of mental health and suicide prevention (MH) and alcohol and other drug treatment
services (AoD), the PHN plays a pivotal role in the development of the corresponding regional plans
and commissioning of primary care services for the population.
To inform these activities and the work undertaken by the Regional Mental Health and Alcohol and
Drug Strategic Collaboratives in Central Queensland, Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay, the PHN
surveyed community organisations delivering mental health and AoD services in the PHN
catchment.
The objective of the survey is to collect basic information about these providers and the services
they deliver. Specifically, the survey sought information regarding:
The scope of services provided, including the type of services, opening hours, and geographic
catchment
Main target populations and sources of referral
The qualifications of the staff delivering services
Main sources of funding
RAPID PHONE SURVEY - METHODS
Time and budget considerations led to a survey design that could be undertaken at low cost, over
the phone and in a short time frame.
A draft survey instrument was developed in early July 2016 and reviewed by local experts. They
were requested to provide feedback on the overall content of the survey.
After securing expert feedback, the survey instrument was adjusted and tested over the phone
with a few service providers before making final changes.
As part of the initial Mental Health and Alcohol and other Drugs Needs Assessments conducted in
early 2016 a list of organisations delivering these services in the PHN catchment was compiled
through sources such as the Queensland Health QFinder directory and lists compiled by Partners in
Recovery Consortiums and the National Health Service Directory. The initial listing included 98
community organisations that could potentially be delivering MH and AoD services in the region.
Further information secured through the web and when possible confirmed over the phone
verified that out of the original listing of 98 community providers, 17 did not identify as a MH and/
or AoD service, two had closed down, one was no longer funded to provide MH and/or AoD
services and one did not deliver services in the PHN catchment. This led to a survey sample of 77
currently active MH and/or AoD services.
A letter requesting participation in the survey was sent to service providers and interviewers
contacted them to request an appointment with the service manager or whoever else was
identified as the best respondent for the survey.
The vast majority of interviews took place in the first three weeks of August, but some providers
were only available for interview in September.
6
Interviews were undertaken over the phone by a supervisor and two interviewers and lasted on
average 15 to 20 minutes. Survey data was cleaned and validated during September.
The survey instrument included 96 questions with 40 relating to MH and 56 to AoD services. They
covered operating years of the organisation delivering services, scope and volume of services
offered, geographical catchment, treatment staff and funding.
Survey questions sought information that respondents had at their fingertips and were able to
provide over the phone. Only ball-park estimates of service volume and staff numbers were thus
requested.
7
SURVEY SAMPLE
MH & AoD SURVEY SAMPLE (1)
Services Delivered PHN(2)
Central Queensland
Wide Bay
Sunshine Coast
Mental Health Only
51 14 23 27
AoD Only 3 1 0 2
Both MH & AoD
11(3) 3 3 5
No Response 12 5 6 1
TOTAL 77 23 32 35
Notes: (1) Interviewed providers might deliver services other than MH or AoD. (2) Some providers deliver across several regions, so totals do not add up to the PHN (3) Two providers answered the AoD section of the survey but did not complete the MH section
In total 77 active MH and/or AoD community
service providers were identified in the PHN
region. Of these, 12 (16%) could not be
contacted or were not available for
interview.
The non-response rate was highest in Central
Queensland (22%), followed by Wide Bay
(18%). All but one of the Sunshine Coast
service providers were available for
interview.
Most providers deliver services across
various LGAs in the same regional area.
However, a few MH providers operate in
several regions. One delivers services in both
Central Queensland and Wide Bay. Three
operate in Wide Bay and the Sunshine Coast.
Out of the 65 service providers surveyed in
the PHN, 62 deliver MH with 51 delivering
MH and not AoD. These results are discussed
in the accompanying report.
The survey identified 14 AoD service
providers, 11 of which deliver both MH and
AoD services.
8
The survey collected information on community MH services supplied by non-government
organisations (NGOs). It does not include MH services offered by hospitals, public organisations,
and private providers.
Out of 65 community providers of MH and AoD services in the PHN catchment, 62 were identified
as delivering MH services across the PHN.
The majority (51 out of 65) deliver MH, but not AoD treatment services and 11 deliver both
streams of services.
Out of the 11 organisations delivering both MH and AoD, 2 failed to answer the MH portion of the
survey.
As a result, a total of 60 community MH providers answered the survey.
A relative large number of MH providers (17 out of 60, 28%) deliver services across more than one
area within the PHN catchment.
There are 11 organisations operating across both Wide Bay and the Sunshine Coast and 6 delivering
services in Central Queensland and Wide Bay.
Only one organisation reported delivering MH services in all three regional areas.
MH organisations operating across regions include some of the largest providers in the PHN
catchment.
MH SERVICE PROVIDERS
Survey estimates of staffing levels and service volume are presented at PHN level only since
no information is available for further geographical allocation.
To broadly capture the supply of MH services across the PHN regions, other survey
estimates, such as number of providers delivering different types of MH services are
provided at regional level.
9
A total of 60 MH providers operating in the PHN catch-
ment were surveyed. Over a half (33) serve the Sunshine
Coast area, home to 384,338 people (47% of the popula-
tion in the PHN catchment) .
The least populous, but highly disadvantaged Wide Bay
area with 205,900 population, 55% of which live in social-
ly disadvantaged areas is served by 28 (out of 60) MH
providers.
GEOGRAPHICAL CATCHMENT OF MH SERVICES
The Central Queensland area with a population of 233,747 and over a quarter living in outer
regional or remote areas, is served by 17 (out of 60) MH providers.
The survey asked providers to broadly identify the geographical catchment of their MH services.
This information was used to identify LGAs that were within each provider’s geographical
catchment. The vast majority of providers deliver MH services across various LGAs, so this
information cannot be used to allocate service capacity to each LGA.
A large number of the Sunshine Coast providers deliver services in the Sunshine Coast LGA (282,822
population and 24 MH providers ).
Gympie LGA with 48,664 population, 50% of which live in disadvantaged areas (i.e. the bottom
Queensland quintile of socio-economic disadvantage) is served by 21 MH providers.
In Wide Bay, Fraser Coast LGA with 101,306 population is served by 20 providers, while Bundaberg
with 94,283 population is serviced by 16 providers.
The 10,311 population of North Burnett LGA (100% of which is classified as outer regional or
remote) is served by 10 providers.
Out of the 17 MH providers servicing Central Queensland, 12
operate in the largest population centres of Rockhampton
(83,439) and Gladstone (66,097 people). The smaller
populations of Banana (15,236) and Woorabinda (1,002) are
served by 6 and 4 providers, respectively.
Number of community organisations delivering MH services in the PHN catchment
Central Queensland 17
Banana 6
Central Highlands 9
Gladstone 12
Livingstone 7
Rockhampton 12
Woorabinda 4
SUNSHINE COAST 33
Gympie 21
Noosa 5
Sunshine Coast LGA 24
WIDE BAY 28
Bundaberg 15
Fraser Coast 20
North Burnett 10
Note: Totals do not add up. Providers deliver across various LGAs
10
Most MH providers in the PHN (40, i.e. 67%)
consider MH to be their primary focus. A
further 27% (16) regard MH to be the
secondary focus of their activities.
Across the three regions, most MH
providers consider MH to be either the
primary or secondary focus of their
activities.
SERVICE FOCUS
To examine the extent to which
consolidated and new service providers
operate in the region, the survey requested
information about the operating years of
the organisation delivering MH services.
Out of 60 MH providers in the PHN
catchment, 32 (53%) have been operating
for more than 11 years and 17 (28%) have
been doing so for 6 to 10 years. Only 18%
(11 providers) have been delivering services
for 5 years or less.
A similar picture is observed in both Central
Queensland and Wide Bay.
Less than 15% of providers (2
out of 17 in Central
Queensland and 4 out of 28 in
Wide Bay) have been
delivering services for 5 years
or less.
Over 57% providers, 5 out of
17 in Central Queensland and
16 out of 28 in Wide Bay, have
been operating for 11 years or more.
In the Sunshine Coast, 9 out of 32 MH
providers (28%) have been operating for 5
years or less, with another 9 operating
between 6 to 10 years. The remaining 14
(44%) have been delivering services for 11
years or more.
OPERATING YEARS
MH PROVIDERS - ORGANISATION OPERATING YEARS
Central
Queensland Wide Bay Sunshine
Coast PHN
N = % N = % N = % N = %
5 years or less 11 18 2 12 4 14 9 28
6 to 10 years 17 28 5 29 8 29 9 28
More than 11 years 32 53 10 59 16 57 14 44
Total PHN 60 100 17 100 28 100 32 100
11
Community bed-based services:
Provide seven days per week recovery oriented
services in a residential-style setting:
Subacute short-stay (step up/step
down), that is with a maximum of 30
days
Sub-acute medium stay, that is with a
maximum of 180 days
Sub-acute long-stay, that is more than
180 days but less than 1 year
Non-acute long-stay, that is more than 1
year
Preventative community programs:
Aim at reducing the incidence and prevalence
of MH problems as well as boosting positive
mental health and resilience.
Community support services:
Provide individuals with access to the support
and help needed to participate in their
community. Includes:
Programs helping people accessing and
maintaining employment/education
Programs helping people accessing and
maintaining social activities
Support with housing
Independent living skills
Flexible respite
Carer support
Community treatment services:
Provide mental health care in the community
for individuals with mental illness. Services are
non-residential and can be intensive, acute or
ongoing.
They cover a variety of services, including:
Suicide risk, detection and treatment
Care coordination for people with high
complex needs
Personalised face-to-face talking therapy
Group therapy, including support groups
Over-the-phone counselling
On-line counselling
Computerised CBT or other types of
computerised therapies
Peer support
COMMUNITY MH SERVICES DELIVERED
Taxonomy of MH services
The taxonomy of MH services was adapted from the Western Australia Services Plan – Government of
Western Australia Mental Health Commission 2015, Better Choices. Better Lives, Western Australia Mental
Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Services Plan 2015-2016 (1)
(1) Available at http://www.mentalhealth.wa.gov.au/Libraries/pdf_docs/The_Plan_81215_3.sflb.ashx.
12
One of the main objectives of the survey was to capture the number of providers delivering
different types of community MH services across the PHN catchment. The vast majority of surveyed
MH organisations deliver:
support services (56 out of 60);
community mental health treatment (50 out of 60); and
preventative services (41 out of 60).
Out of 60 providers, 9 deliver community bed based services, with 6 of them operating from Wide
Bay and 2 from Central Queensland.
Only 1 provider of community bed based services reported operating from the Sunshine Coast
area. However 3 providers with reported locations in Wide Bay have also included the Sunshine
Coast in the geographical catchment area of their MH services.
Preventative mental health programmes are offered by 41 providers in the PHN catchment (68%).
A higher proportion deliver treatment services (50 providers, 83%).
Most organisations in the PHN catchment (56 out of 60, 93%) deliver community support services.
The situation is similar across each of the three regional areas:
Most MH organisations in Central Queensland, Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast (over 88%)
deliver support services and over 80% provide community treatment services.
TYPES OF MH SERVICES DELIVERED
Community MH Services - Number of Providers
Central
Queensland Wide Bay Sunshine
Coast PHN
N % N % N % N %
Bed-based services 9 15 2 12 6 21 4 13
Preventative services 41 68 12 71 19 68 22 69
MH Treatment services 50 83 15 88 23 82 26 81
Support Services 56 93 15 88 26 93 30 94
Total Providers (do not add up) 60 1 17 28 32
13
Community residential care services assist clients with severe and complex mental illness to
improve their functioning and enabling them to move towards more independent living.
To capture the capacity of community bed services, the survey estimates the number of community
beds available for each type of service.
The largest number of beds (18) in the PHN catchment are available for sub-acute short-stay. This is
followed by sub-acute long stay (15) and sub-acute medium-stay (12).
Only 2 beds are available for non-acute long stay (i.e. over a year) in the PHN catchment. All of
them are offered by providers delivering services in Central Queensland.
In Central Queensland, community bed-based services are only available for sub-acute short stay
(i.e. maximum of 30 days) and non-acute long-stay.
The Sunshine Coast population is served by MH providers offering 15 beds for sub-acute short-stay.
Out of these beds, 7 of them are offered by providers who also serve the Wide-Bay population.
For sub-acute long stay bed-based services, 9 beds are offered by providers that only deliver
services in the Sunshine Coast. The remaining 6 beds are offered by providers that only operate in
Wide-Bay.
There is no supply of non-acute long-stay beds by providers servicing the Sunshine Coast and/or
Wide Bay.
COMMUNITY BED SERVICES
14
These are recovery oriented services designed to support individuals with severe mental illness to
create or rebuild a satisfying and contributing life.
The survey aimed to gauge the number of providers delivering different types of community
support services in the PHN catchment. Out of the 56 providers delivering community support
services identified in the survey:
The majority (47 providers, 84%) offer programs helping people accessing and maintaining
social activities
Other commonly supplied services include independent living skills (39 providers, 70%), carer
support (37 providers, 66%) and housing support (34, 60%)
17% of providers (10 out of 56) offer flexible respite programmes
In Central Queensland, the majority of providers (13 out of 15, 87%) deliver programmes helping
people access and maintain social activities as well as programmes for independent living skills.
Only 2 providers offer flexible respite.
Most providers serving Wide Bay deliver programmes supporting social activities (23 out of 26
providers, 88%) followed by carer support (19 providers, 73%).
Out of 26 community support service providers in Wide Bay, 8 (31%) deliver flexible respite, the
highest proportion in the PHN catchment.
In the Sunshine Coast area, out of 30
support service providers, 24 (80%)
offer support with social activities and
22 (73%) deliver carer support
programmes. The lowest proportion
(17%) represents providers delivering
flexible respite programmes (5 out of
30).
COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES
Community Support Services - Number of providers
Central Queensland Wide Bay Sunshine Coast PHN
N % N % N % N %
Employment 24 43 7 47 12 46 12 40
Social Activities 47 84 13 87 23 88 24 80
Housing 34 61 9 60 17 65 18 60
Independent Living 39 70 13 87 18 69 20 67
Flexible Respite 10 18 2 13 8 31 5 17
Carer Support 37 66 7 47 19 73 22 73
Total number of support services providers (do not add up) 56 15 26 30
15
NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME
With the introduction of the NDIS, providers can register to deliver support services or products to
individuals participating in the NDIS. The survey sought general information on the extent to
which current providers are registered – or intend to register – with the NDIS.
Out of 56 providers of community support services in the PHN catchment, 9 (16%) are already
registered, while 26 (46%) are intending to register.
In Central Queensland, the vast majority (11 out of 15 providers, 73%) intend to register, while 1 is
already registered. The remaining 3 do not intend to register.
Out of 26 community support service providers in Wide Bay, 13 (50%) intend to register, while 9
(35%) do not intend to register.
Out of 30 community support service providers in the Sunshine Coast, 8 (27%) are registered, 9
(30%) intend to register, while the majority (13, i.e. 43%) do not intend to register.
16
Community treatment services provide
clinical care in a non-residential community
setting for individuals with mental illness.
They are an important focus of the mental
health services that the PHN commissions in
the catchment area.
The survey aimed to broadly capture the
number of providers and volume of services
delivered to the PHN population.
Number of providers
Out of 60 MH providers surveyed, 50 (83%)
deliver mental health treatment services in
the PHN catchment. Of these:
The majority (35 providers, 70%) deliver suicide risk, detection and treatment services.
The same number of providers (35) also provide personalised face-to-face talking therapy, such as counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy.
Group Therapy is also a popular service delivered by 64% of providers (32), followed by over the phone counselling (26 providers, 52%).
Alternative approaches to delivering mental
health services are important for reaching
rural and remote populations at reasonable
cost.
However, in the PHN catchment, only 7 providers (14%) offer on-line counselling and only 1 delivers computerised therapies such as computerised CBT.
COMMUNITY TREATMENT
MH treatment services– Number of providers
Central
Queensland Wide Bay
Sunshine
Coast
N % N % N %
Suicide 13 87 17 74 17 65
Care
coordination
11 73 17 74 18 69
Peer support 7 47 13 57 16 62
Face-to-face 13 87 17 74 17 65
Group Therapy 8 53 14 61 19 73
Over the phone 8 53 11 48 13 50
On-line 2 13 4 17 4 15
Computerised
Therapy
1 7 0 0 0 0
Total number of
MH treatment
providers
(do not add up)
15 23 26
Across each of the three regional areas:
Suicide treatment, care coordination and face-to-face are offered by most providers in each regional
area.
Group therapy is offered by a relatively large number of providers in each regional area. The highest
proportion is in the Sunshine Coast, where 19 out of 26 (i.e. 73%) offer this service.
Computerised and on-line counselling are offered by relatively few providers. Wide Bay is the PHN
regional area with the highest proportion of providers delivering on-line counselling (4 out of 17, i.e.
17%) . Only one provider in CQ offers computerised therapy.
17
On average every month in the PHN catchment:
36 providers deliver care coordination services to 1619 clients
35 organisations deliver suicide risk detection and treatment services to 1161 clients
26 providers offer peer support to 1,070 clients
35 providers deliver 4,386 occasions of service for face-to-face therapy
32 organisations offer 969 sessions of group therapy
26 organisations deliver 1,081 occasions of service for over-the-phone counselling
No information is available to disaggregate volume of services and allocate number of clients or
occasions of service allocate to LGAs or regional areas.
VOLUME OF TREATMENT SERVICES DELIVERED
MH Treatment Services - Clients per month
PHN Clients Providers
Suicide 1161 35
Care coordination 1619 36
Peer Support 1070 26
Total of providers offering treatment services 50
MH Treatment Services - Occasions of service per month
PHN Occasions of service Providers
Face-to-face 4386 35
Group Therapy 969 32
Over the phone 1081 26
On-line 30 7
Computerised Therapy 2 1
Total of providers offering treat-ment services 50
18
A relatively small number of MH providers account for a relatively large percentage of MH services
delivery in the region. However the presence of numerous -although relatively small- providers
suggest that at least to some degree there is contestability in the market for community MH
treatment services.
MARKET CONCENTRATION OF TREATMENT SERVICES DELIVERED
Out of 1161 clients of suicide risk detection and
treatment services in the PHN catchment, 760
(65 %) receive services from 4 providers
In the PHN catchment, out of 969 face-to-face
therapy sessions, 600 (62%) are delivered by
one provider
Out of 1,081 occasions of service for over-the-
phone counselling delivered in the PHN
catchment, 530 (49%) are offered by 3
providers
In the PHN catchment, out of 1,070 peer
support clients, 610 (57%) obtain their services
from 3 providers
Out of 1,619 individuals receiving care
coordination services in the PHN catchment,
590 (36%) are served by 4 providers.
19
To examine the availability of MH services during and out of business hours, the survey requested
information on the operating hours of MH services, excluding those that are bed-based or delivered
over the phone and on-line.
The vast majority of MH providers in the PHN catchment deliver their services during standard
business hours (40 out of 60, i.e. 70%).
In the PHN, 7 out of 60 providers (12%)
also offer services during flexible hours
to suit the needs of their clients.
Similar operating hours are observed
across the three regional areas, with
the majority of providers offering their
services during standard business
hours.
OPERATING HOURS FOR MH SERVICES
MAIN SOURCES OF REFERRAL FOR CLIENTS OF AoD SERVICES
To understand the main sources of referral for clients of MH services in the PHN catchment, the
survey requested respondents to identify the top three sources of referral for their clients.
Out of 60 providers in the PHN, 41 identified self-referral/family (including friends and carers) as
one of the top three sources of referral for their clients.
Social support services was identified by 27 providers, followed by Hospital and Health Services
referral (20).
Across each of the three regional areas, most providers identified self-referral/family as one of the
top three sources of referral for their
MH clients.
Social support services was identified
as one of the most important sources
of client referral for 9 out of 17
providers in Central Queensland and
for 15 out of 33 providers in Sunshine
Coast.
In Wide Bay, social support services
and GP/Psychiatrist were identified by
11 out of 17 providers as one of the
main sources of referral for their MH
clients.
20
With a view to broadly capture MH service capacity in the PHN catchment, the survey aimed to
estimate the number of staff currently engaged to deliver MH services to clients, excluding
corporate support staff, such as managers or accountants.
Information such as full-time equivalent staff numbers was not available through a rapid phone
survey. Respondents were asked to provide ball-park estimates of their staff numbers. Most– but
not all respondents– were also able to provide information on the number of staff according to
their employment status (full-time, part-time, casual and independent contractors)
Out of 60 surveyed providers 24 (40%) have between 1 to 5 mental health treatment staff and 2
(3%) operate with volunteers only – which might include student placements.
In the PHN catchment, 6 providers (10%) reported 31+ MH treatment staff. Most of these providers
operate in the Sunshine Coast area (5).
In Central Queensland, 6 out of 17 providers (35%) reported between 1 to 5 MH treatment staff
and 9 have between 11 and 30. Only 1 provider employs more than 31 MH treatment staff
Most MH providers in Wide Bay (12 out of 28, i.e. 43%) reported 1 to 5 MH treatment staff, while 2
employ over 31 staff.
Out of 32 providers in the Sunshine Coast, 12 (38%)reported 1 to 5 MH treatment staff, followed
by 7 providers reporting 6 to 10 staff members and 5 with over 31 MH treatment staff.
STAFF DELIVERING MH SERVICES
Staffing levels - MH Providers
PHN Central Queensland Wide Bay Sunshine Coast
N % N % N % N %
Only volunteers 2 3% 0 0% 1 4% 1 3%
1 to 5 staff 24 40% 6 35% 12 43% 12 38%
6 to 10 staff 10 17% 1 6% 4 14% 7 22%
11 to 16 staff 9 15% 4 24% 4 14% 4 13%
17 to 30 staff 9 15% 5 29% 5 18% 3 9%
31+ staff 6 10% 1 6% 2 7% 5 16%
Total providers 60 100% 17 100% 28 100 32 100%
Number of staff includes full-time, part-time, casual and contractors. Full-time equivalent estimates are not available.
21
Excluding one large provider that was not able to provide disaggregated data, the majority of MH
treatment staff across the PHN are engaged as full-time (322) and part-time (204) employees.
Relatively few MH treatment staff are engaged on casual basis (34), while 144 individuals operate
as contractors with ABN.
The survey asked respondents to identify whether or not their organisation engaged staff with
specific qualifications for the delivery of MH services (i.e. excluding corporate functions). They also
reported the most common qualification amongst their staff.
Out of 60 MH providers across the PHN, 32 (53%) reported engaging staff with Diploma or
Certificate II or IV, 31 reported staff with other professional degrees, 30 reported social workers
and 24 psychologists.
Across the PHN, 23 providers (38%) engage volunteers – which might include student placements–
to deliver MH treatment services and 20 reported employing peer workers. Only 3 (5%) engage a
psychiatrist.
In each of the three regional areas, similar qualifications (Diploma/Certificate II or IV, other
professionals, social worker and psychologists) were also commonly reported by providers.
Volunteers and peer workforce were reported by 41% of providers in the Sunshine Coast (13 out of
32) and 39% in Wide Bay (11 out of 28).
In Central Queensland out of 17 MH providerss, 5 (i.e. 29%) reported volunteers, while 4 (i.e. 24%)
reported engaging peer workers.
QUALIFICATIONS OF STAFF DELIVERING MH SERVICES
22
MH STAFF QUALIFICATIONS
PHN CENTRAL
QUEENSLAND WIDE BAY SUNSHINE
COAST
N % N % N % N %
Psychiatrist 3 5% 1 6% 1 4% 2 6%
GP 5 8% 2 12% 2 7% 2 6%
Psychologist 24 40% 9 53% 12 43% 13 41%
MH Nurse 10 17% 3 18% 4 14% 4 13%
Social Worker 30 50% 9 53% 12 43% 18 56%
Occupational Therapist 7 12% 3 18% 4 14% 4 13%
Other Professionals 31 52% 8 47% 16 57% 19 59%
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker 12 20% 5 29% 3 11% 6 19%
Diploma/Certificate 32 53% 9 53% 16 57% 18 56%
CBT Training 16 27% 5 29% 7 25% 8 25%
Peer Workforce 20 33% 4 24% 11 39% 13 41%
Volunteers 23 38% 5 29% 11 39% 13 41%
Total providers (do not add up) 60 17 28 32
23
Out of 55 PHN providers, 15 (27%)
reported Diploma/Certificate II or IV as the
most common qualification of their MH
services staff (excluding volunteers). It was
followed by other professionals (12
providers, 22%) and social worker (11
providers, 20%).
Psychology was reported as the most
common professional qualification
amongst MH treatment staff by 10
organisations (18%).
Across each of the three regional areas, a
high proportion of providers report
Diploma/Certificate II or IV and other
professions as the most common staff
qualifications.
Psychology was reported as the most
common staff qualification by 7 out of 29
providers in the Sunshine Coast (24%) and
by 5 out of 27 providers in Wide Bay
(19%).
In Central Queensland, 2 out of 16
providers (13%) reported Psychology as
the most common staff qualification.
MOST COMMON PROFESSIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS
MOST COMMON MH STAFF QUALIFICATIONS
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND WIDE BAY SUNSHINE COAST PHN
N % N % N % N %
GP 3 5.45% 2 12.50% 1 3.70% 0 0%
Psychologist 10 18.18% 2 12.50% 5 18.52% 7 24.14%
MH Nurse 3 5.45% 2 12.50% 1 3.70% 1 3.45%
Social Worker 11 20% 3 18.75% 4 14.81% 4 13.79%
Other professionals 12 21.82% 4 25% 6 22.22% 7 24.14%
Diploma/Certificate 15 27.27% 3 18.75% 10 37.04% 9 31.03%
Peer workforce 1 1.82% 0 0% 0 0% 1 3.45%
Total Providers 55 100 16 100 27 100 29 100
24
The survey aimed to identify the number of providers receiving financing for the delivery of MH
services from traditional sources of MH funding.
Out of 60 MH providers in the PHN, 42 (70%) receive Commonwealth funding and 28 (47%) receive
State government funding for the delivery of MH services.
Philanthropic organisations fund MH services delivered by 10 providers (17%), while private sector
contributes to funding MH services for 9 providers.
Only 5 out of 60 PHN providers receive Local government funding for their MH services.
In Central Queensland, most providers (14 out of 17, 82%) receive Commonwealth funding. A
higher proportion of providers–relative to other regional areas- also receive funding from State (9
providers, 53%) and Local governments (3 providers, 18%).
Out of 28 MH providers delivering services in Wide Bay, 20 (71%) receive funding from the
Commonwealth government, while only 11 (39%) receive Local government funding.
Private and philanthropic sources of funding are received by 4 and 5 providers in Wide Bay,
respectively
In the Sunshine Coast a higher proportion of MH providers receive funding from philanthropic (8
out of 32 providers, 25%) and private sources (6 providers, 19%).
FUNDING FOR MH SERVICES
MH PROVIDERS - SOURCES OF FUNDING
CENTRAL
QUEENSLAND WIDE BAY SUNSHINE
COAST PHN
N % N % N % N %
Commonwealth 42 70% 14 82% 20 71% 23 72%
State Gov. 28 47% 9 53% 11 39% 16 50%
Local Gov. 5 8% 3 18% 2 7% 2 6%
Private 9 15% 3 18% 4 14% 6 19%
Philanthropic 10 17% 2 12% 5 18% 8 25%
Total providers (do not add up) 60 17 28 32
25
Out of 55 MH providers receiving targeted population funding across the PHN, 21 receive funding
for delivering services to clients with complex needs, 18 for targeting children and young people
and 17 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
In CQ, 12 MH providers receive targeted funding population. Most of them (9) receive funding for
complex needs clients, while 8 receive funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations
and 7 for targeting those in rural and remote areas.
A half of providers operating in CQ (6 out of 12) receive targeted funding for children/youth and
economically disadvantaged individuals.
Out of 16 MH providers in Wide Bay that receive targeted population funding, 11 receive for
clients with complex needs and 10 for children/youth.
Economically disadvantaged, rural and remote, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
populations are each targeted by funding sources across a half of providers (8) in Wide Bay.
In the Sunshine Coast
area, 9 out of 17
providers receive
targeted funding for
complex needs clients,
children/youth and
homeless populations.
Other commonly
targeted population
groups in the Sunshine
Coast are Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander
people, ageing
populations and those
from culturally and
linguistically diverse
groups
Surveyed providers were asked about the
extent to which they receive funding for the
delivery of MH services to specific groups of
the population.
Out of 60 MH providers in the PHN, 33
(55%) receive targeted population funding.
The proportion is highest in Central
Queensland (71%), followed by Wide Bay
(57%) and the Sunshine Coast (53%).
TARGETED POPULATION FUNDING
26
Specific geographical locations, such as remote areas, are other common funding targets for MH
services.
The majority of providers in the PHN (34 out of 60, 57%) receive funding targeting specific
geographical areas.
Most providers in Sunshine Coast (20 out of
32, 63%) and Wide Bay (16 out of 28, 57%)
receive funding for delivering services in
specific geographical areas.
In Central Queensland, the PHN regional
area with the highest proportion of people
living in outer rural and/or remote areas, 8
out of 17 MH providers (47%) receive
geographical targeted funding.
TARGETED GEOGRAPHICAL FUNDING
The introduction of a stepped cared model to the delivery of mental health services in Australia
was recommended by the National Review of Mental Health Programmes and Services 2014. It
aims to align the provision of MH interventions with the level of clinical need for each individual.
The steps of care start with low intensity services -such as guided self-help- targeting individuals
with mild conditions and move across the spectrum of need to include more intensive
interventions -such as residential care- for patients with severe, persistent and complex mental
illness.
The survey aimed to gauge the extent to which respondents were familiar with the stepped care
model to MH services.
Across the PHN, 55% of survey
respondents (33 out of 60 providers)
had never heard or did not know much
about the stepped care approach to
mental health.
Out of 60 providers in the PHN
catchment, 17 are familiar with the
stepped care model, while 10 know its
implications for the delivery of MH
services.
KNOWLEDGE OF STEPPED CARE MODEL
27
The PHN sincerely thanks the organisations and individuals who participated in the survey for their
generosity in providing information to enable the PHN to build a picture of current services across
the region. The information presented in this report will be used by the PHN in relation to plan-
ning and commissioning services and to support the integrated delivery of mental health and
suicide prevention services within the community.
While the Australian Government Department of Health has contributed to the funding of this material, the information contained in it does not
necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government and is not advice that is provided, or information that is endorsed, by the Australian
Government. The Australian Government is not responsible in negligence or otherwise for any injury, loss or damage however arising from the
use of or reliance on the information provided herein.