Clinical review to examine serious mental health events

Health Minister Cameron Dick has established a state wide clinical review to examine recent mental health sentinel events and make recommendations to improve the system.

Recent tragic events have highlighted the impact of serious mental illness and the need to ensure people with mental illness are receiving the best possible care so that such tragedies are not repeated.

The review will focus on homicides or attempted homicides involving people with mental illness, either as a victim or perpetrator.

The review will also examine fatalities that have resulted from police intervention where the person may have had a mental illness.

“These cases are the worst possible outcome of severe mental illness, with devastating impacts on individuals, families and members of the community,” Mr Dick said.

“While these events are not necessarily preventable or predictable, it is important that we thoroughly examine them to ensure our services and systems are operating as best they can.

“So we will be looking to identify ways the government’s systems and practices can be improved.”

The review will be undertaken by an expert committee that includes psychiatric, legal, nursing, health quality and safety systems expertise; and at least one member with a lived experience of mental illness.

The review will be headed by Professor James R. P. Ogloff AMwho is Foundation Professor of Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne University of Technology and Director of Psychological Services and Research at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare) and Associate Professor Peter L. Burnettwho is Director of Clinical Governance, NorthWestern Mental Health, Victoria.

Mr Dick said one of the biggest issues for mental health services was the stigmatisation faced by people with mental illness.

“The majority of people with mental illness are not violent but sometimes media coverage speculates about the role of mental illness in fatalities and police shootings,” he said.

“Unfortunately, this can often have a negative impact on families and communities and can lead to increased stigmatisation.”

The committee is expected to provide its report to the government in October 2015.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew Fraser 0428 690 679.