Community Mental Health Services RFI

⁠⁠⁠The Victorian mental health sector is poised to undergo significant change within the next 10 years, largely due to the reform that will be undertaken following the release of the findings from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System in 2020. The Victorian Government has committed to implementing all of the report’s 65 recommendations.

The Royal Commission’s recommendations include the shift from a crisis-driven model to a community-based model of care which ensures that treatment, care and support services are available and accessible across the state. With this shift towards a community based model of care it is anticipated that mental health service providers may start to offer new community based services to the Victorian community.

In the 2019/20 financial year, 14.3% of all new claims were for a mental injury, up from 12.6% in 2017/18 and 14% in 2018/19. Over the next 10 years it is expected that the proportion of mental injury claims will continue to increase. In line with an upward trend for mental injury claims is an increase in the time that it takes for an injured worker to recover from a mental injury.

WorkSafe is seeking responses to this Request for Information (RFI) in order to gain a more detailed understanding of the existing and emerging community mental health service models available in Victoria to treat those with a mental injury.

The RFI responses will be used to map the landscape of organisations who deliver community based mental health services within Victoria. The use of these services may be expanded supplementing those already available to injured workers.

WorkSafe makes no representations or warranties that it will proceed to procure goods or services on the basis of responses to this RFI or that a subsequent request for tender will be issued in respect of those goods or services. A market engagement may or may not follow.