One of our lived experience representatives was  able to attend the conference as a member of Baptcare's Lived Experience Advisory Group. Themes of the conference included the: 

• many and varied challenges faced by rural areas – e.g. lack of services and relevant professionals 

• growing use and important key role of peer workers and the contributions of lived experience  

• response to ongoing and returning disasters – floods, drought, bushfires, storms …. 

• role of digital solutions together with discussions of their possible limitations  

Two sessions were of particular interest: 

• A Collective Impact Approach to Integrated Care – Applying Research to Optimise Clinical Impact – Professor Russell Roberts, National Director of Equally Well Australia 

In the last 30 years there has been astonishing progress in health outcomes with advances in health promotion, illness prevention, screening and treatment. However, people living in rural communities and people living with mental health conditions have not benefitted equally from these advances. Prof. Roberts discusses the health disparities for marginalised population groups, including people living with mental health conditions, and offers simple, practical actions that will make a difference. 

There is an unacceptable, and indeed, scandalous health equity gap for significant sections of our population. The premature death rates for people living with mental health conditions are between 4-6 times higher than for the rest of the population, and approximately two thirds of these deaths are 'excess' or potentially preventable.  

The presentation suggests actions for researchers, advocates and service providers to effectively address the physical health disparities for people living with mental health conditions. 

Read more. 

• https://ijic.org/articles/10.5334/ijic.ICIC22159From Surviving to Thriving Utilising the CORES Training: Lived Experience from a Rural LGBTIQA+ Person – Sharon Corvinus-Jones, Kentish Regional Clinic Inc. 

Sharon shared her lived experience of growing up 'non-binary' in rural Australia, the journey of coming to terms with both her gender identity and sexuality, how she came to attend the CORES suicide prevention training, and the way that this helped her to manage her own mental health and suicidality to transform her life through the River of Risk strategy. This journey has led Sharon to become the CEO of Kentish Regional Clinic, the governing body of CORES Australia, which allows her to continue her passion for self-care and mental wellbeing, suicide prevention, community development and equity for all, through education. CORES Australia is a grass roots organisation empowering communities to take care of themselves and each other. Sharon believes that we need to come back to where it takes a community to raise a child and a community to support an adult. 

Other Tasmanian initiatives showcased: 

• Youth Mental Health Hospital in the Home (Y-HiTH) (North West Tasmania) 

Y-HiTH is staffed by a multi-disciplinary team of mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, gps, pharmacists, registered nurses, mental health nurses, social workers, allied health staff, youth workers, and people with lived experience. From mid-2024, the service has gone from operating three beds, five days a week to now operating 12 beds, seven days a week. 

• Baptcare programs 

Choices is an intensive psychosocial outreach and crisis accommodation program to meet local community need to support adults experiencing homelessness and social challenges after a mental health hospitalisation in Tasmania. It provides Baptcare-operated crisis accommodation as well as assertive community outreach services for the first 3 months after a client is discharged from a mental health facility. Practitioners support clients working towards goals (e.g. achieving safe accommodation, fulfilling activities of daily living, improving social connections). 

A trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of Choices on adults aged 18-64 years experiencing mental illness and homelessness. The study determined that in comparison with a control group Choices clients experienced: 

• Greater improvements in general psychosocial functioning (e.g. housing, daily activities, community engagement) 

• Greater improvements in social functioning (e.g. including social relationships, self-esteem, confidence) 

• Larger reduction in impulsive and/or addictive behaviours 

• Significantly shorter average length of stay associated with hospital readmissions. 

The Horizons program provides outreach support across Tasmania supporting those who experience severe mental ill-health and it has a specific focus on the most rural and remote areas of the state. Since 2019 Horizons has focused on 'showing up differently' to rural and remote areas, prioritised hard to reach areas and continued to adapt to become part of these communities. It has incorporated a new program model within the existing service, to address barriers to accessing health and community services. This new 'Horizons Service Navigation' program has pivoted their peer workforce to provide a lived experience connection to overcoming access barriers in rural and remote areas. The presentation also described how a 'drive in, drive out' model provides access to lived experience to areas often lacking this opportunity. 

With thanks to Baptcare for facilitating my attendance plus their ongoing commitment to including the voices of lived experience in their work. 

Carmel (MHFFTas lived experience representative) 

Sourced from: Equally Well Progress Report (July 2023)