Mr. Love asks the Minister for Mental Health to commit extra funding to regional mental health networks due to increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minister acknowledges the need and highlights ongoing efforts to support regional services.

AnsweredQoN 298Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 May 2020
Portfolio
Mental Health

QuestionView source ↗

CORONAVIRUS —
MENTAL HEALTH
298. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Mental Health:
I thank the minister for his answer.
As
a supplementary question, given that the calls to Lifeline are up by 25 per
cent this year and calls to Beyond Blue are up by 40 per cent, will the
minister commit extra funding, specifically for regional mental health
networks, given that they were already under pressure before the COVID-19 pandemic and regional Western Australians are probably feeling even more
isolated than ever at this time?

AnswerView source ↗

It
is a fair question. The acting Mental Health Commissioner is working hard to
ensure that our services, particularly in regional communities, have the
support they need. The mental health services in the wheatbelt, for instance,
have 66 employees, or just over 50 FTEs, working hard to make sure that we have
those services right throughout our regional communities in that area.
Ultimately, I suspect that mental health is one of those areas in which there
will always be an ongoing need. From that perspective, I wish everyone in the
community well, but I urge them, as the member for Moore has just reminded
them, to continue to reach out to Lifeline and other support services so that
they have someone to talk to and can be directed to the right service in their
community.

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