Federal Member for Bowman, Henry Pike, has welcomed confirmation that a new Head to Health service will be established at Redland Bay.
“I am pleased to announce that through media pressure, representations to the Minister and parliamentary speeches the government has finally made this commitment to the people of Redlands”, Mr Pike said.
The former Liberal and Nationals Government committed $3.4 million over four years to establish and operate a Head-to-Health adult mental health service at the Redland Bay satellite hospital, which is currently under construction.
Head-to-Health are a new network of community-based mental health centres which are being rolled out across Australia as part of the previous LNP Government’s National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan.
Mr Pike said that the Redland Bay location was selected after a rigorous process of assessment based on local needs evidenced by State Government and Primary Health Network proposals.
“Reaffirming the previous government’s commitment should have been a simple process for the incoming Health Minister. Instead, the Minister went back to the State Government and Primary Health Networks requesting they resubmit their proposals, only to arrive at the same decision over nine months later,” Mr Pike said.
“Mental health issues are a growing concern in all Australian communities, but we know that Redlands is severely under-serviced when it comes to all levels of support.”
This service will be integrated within the primary care setting of the Redland Bay Satellite Hospital to offer support to adults with moderate to severe levels of mental health illness over the short to medium term.
“I welcome this commitment to address gaps in the mental health and suicide prevention system for Redland residents.”
Establishment of the Redlands Head to Health service is expected to begin from mid-2023, with service delivery expected to commence in 2024.