Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission in Victoria

[goatlatte]

Fairly recently, the "Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission" was created. According to the mission statement, the purpose of this organisation is ...to ensure the government is accountable for the performance, quality, and safety of the mental health and wellbeing system, including the implementation of recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System.

Has anyone seen them doing that? My own experience with them over help with a complaint was four or five weeks at a time to reply, giving strange answers that didn't meet what I had written, telling the organisation I was complaining about the wrong thing leading to the organisation I was complaining about sending me bizarre emails that didn't have anything at all to do with my complaint... and when the organisation eventually admitted staff were wrong and made it care they didn't care to continue engaging further, the MHWC said that's all they can do and closed the complaint. A second complaint about a different service (that refused service when they realised I was actually an escalation from the PHN and not a walkin) took four emails backwards and forwards before the worker assigned to me actually understood what city the service was in, then went silent for four or five weeks without any communication?

Are they there to actually do anything or enforce correct standards on mental health organisations in Victoria, which is what they're supposed to do? It feels a bit like an approach with specific call centre based mental health charities, where you set something up that's next to useless, but because it "exists" everyone feels like they don't have to do anything further? I have another friend, a woman with BPD who complained about something serious and got a similar treatment: complete disinterest, not understanding basic things and not really doing anything. I get the feeling of MHWC complaints isn't to help consumers of mental health services here: I think it helps the people delivering services badly by making it seem like the government is doing something, when they're really not?

Has anyone gotten a good outcome from them?

[tyme]

Hey @goatlatte ,

Thanks for sharing. 

I have to say that I had a very good outcome from MHWC. I can't go into too much, but my complaint was taken seriously and I had ongoing communication from them. They provided very adequate supports and made changes based on my complaint. 

I don't have time to go through it now, but I hope to share a bit more either tomorrow or later this week. 

Feel free to tag me in so I don't forget!

[chibam]

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@goatlatte wrote:

My own experience with them over help with a complaint was four or five weeks at a time to reply, giving strange answers that didn't meet what I had written, telling the organisation I was complaining about the wrong thing leading to the organisation I was complaining about sending me bizarre emails that didn't have anything at all to do with my complaint... and when the organisation eventually admitted staff were wrong and made it care they didn't care to continue engaging further, the MHWC said that's all they can do and closed the complaint. A second complaint about a different service (that refused service when they realised I was actually an escalation from the PHN and not a walkin) took four emails backwards and forwards before the worker assigned to me actually understood what city the service was in, then went silent for four or five weeks without any communication?

Are they there to actually do anything or enforce correct standards on mental health organisations in Victoria, which is what they're supposed to do? It feels a bit like an approach with specific call centre based mental health charities, where you set something up that's next to useless, but because it "exists" everyone feels like they don't have to do anything further?

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It's election season, @goatlatte , so maybe you might get some productive results if you email your local MP... and CC in the opposition candidate? Let them know that your vote is up for grabs to whoever is offering the brightest outlook in terms of action on mental health.

I realize that this is a fedral election and the MHWC is Victorian state government, but I'm sure that the fedral politicians can reach out to their state colleagues if they feel like it'll help them win government.

[Jlol]

If its anything like the Commission we had here in Queensland, their goal is to take in information from across the state and to simply deliver a report and recommendations to the government.

IMHO whilst they often have good people working for them they're too toothless.

Give the government a list of things that need to change to improve the mental health of people and that government will choose the lowest hanging fruit - the easiest and cheapest option. That way they can say they're responding to the Commission's report without having to do much actual change. Either that or perpetually say they're examining the situation indefinitely.

Commissions are great, but if the government doesn't have the appetite to act on the advice of the commission, they're a waste of time and money.

[EternalFlower]

@chibam my experience was the same as yours

Not sure below about the comment being moved, clicked on it and it said access denied.
Have you googled Simon Katterl?
He writes a newsletter on this topic.

The commission was slow, ineffective, the responders were unclear. I complained about a trauma service in VIC that left me for dead. Highly don't recommend them and I closed my complaint due to feeling that I didn't even have a consistenta nd reliable contact at the commission.

[EternalFlower]

hi @tyme while I understand you had a positive experience and respect your right to share about it, the MHWC formed about 1.5 years ago and perhaps your experience may have been before then - it is quite a diff serivce now.

In addition, there is a current court case about many people who had negative experiences, so I feel it's imporant to be very clear that positive experiences may not be the norm. Thanks

[EternalFlower]

@goatlatte yes it felt like a call centre. 

[EternalFlower]

@goatlatte if you're keen 🙂

https://www.ourcommission.au/tell-your-story

[chibam]

Yes, @EternalFlower , 

Although TBH, I haven't had much of a look at what he's been up to since releasing the "Not Before Time" report... I should probably check out what he's done since then.

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@EternalFlower wrote:

Not sure below about the comment being moved, clicked on it and it said access denied.

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Yeah, it's a dead link for me, too. ☹️

[tyme]

Absolutely @EternalFlower . I totally agree with you.