At a time when the delivery of high-quality mental health care has never been more important, WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) has strengthened its commitment to safe and high-quality mental health services through the introduction of new minimum accreditation requirements for our providers.
This means providers commissioned by WAPHA to deliver mental health clinical intervention services must be accredited against at least one of the following, by 30 June 2023:
- National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
- National Standards for Mental Health Services 2010
The National Standards for Mental Health Services (NSMHS) and National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS) were developed to provide health services with a framework to deliver safe care and continuously improve the quality of the service they provide.
Introduction of these new accreditation requirements not only increases transparency and accountability in decision making but fosters a shared commitment with our service providers to common clinical governance and accreditation goals.
WAPHA will provide support to service providers who don’t meet at least one of these standards, to undertake their accreditation process.
Mission Australia’s Integrated Primary Mental Health Care Service in the Pilbara achieves accreditation against the National Standards for Mental Health Services
Mission Australia delivers the Integrated Primary Mental Health Care (IPMHC) service across the Pilbara providing culturally sensitive counselling, brief intervention and case coordination to people experiencing psychological distress, depression and anxiety.
Mission Australia’s Regional Leader – WA, Linda Richardson, said meeting accreditation standards highlights the high level of care clients can expect to receive from the IPMHC service.
“Feedback during the assessment from consumer representatives and staff was overwhelmingly positive and the service’s approach to protecting client rights, service planning, management and evaluation is embedded in all aspects of the service.
“Staff interviews as part of the accreditation process also highlighted the passion and dedication of the organisation’s workforce, along with the sense of community and accessibility offered to staff,” she said.
The assessor commended Mission Australia on the strong commitment to governance and continuous improvement from senior management, commenting that a high focus on risk management, along with comprehensive systems of review, analysis and reporting was also evident throughout the organisation.
