❓ Hon Martin Aldridge questions the Minister for Health regarding instances where Rurallink, an after-hours mental health service for rural WA, was not operational and seeks assurance of its 24/7 availability. The Minister acknowledges two instances due to staffing issues and highlights alternative support options.
AnsweredQoN 188Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE LINE
188. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I
refer to Rurallink, which operates an after-hours telephone service for people
in rural and regional Western Australia who are experiencing a mental
health crisis.
(1) From 1 September 2023 to date,
on how many occasions was Rurallink not operational?
(2) For each instance identified in
(1), what was the reason for Rurallink not being operational?
(3) What action is the state government
undertaking to ensure that Rurallink is operational 24/7?
(4) What
alternative after-hours mental health crisis support is available when
Rurallink is not operational, and how is this communicated to people who need
urgent assistance?
188. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I
refer to Rurallink, which operates an after-hours telephone service for people
in rural and regional Western Australia who are experiencing a mental
health crisis.
(1) From 1 September 2023 to date,
on how many occasions was Rurallink not operational?
(2) For each instance identified in
(1), what was the reason for Rurallink not being operational?
(3) What action is the state government
undertaking to ensure that Rurallink is operational 24/7?
(4) What
alternative after-hours mental health crisis support is available when
Rurallink is not operational, and how is this communicated to people who need
urgent assistance?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following has been provided to me by the
Minister for Health.
(1) There were
two occasions. These are the same two occasions referred to in question without
notice 99 asked in the Legislative Council on 12 March 2024 by Hon Martin Aldridge.
(2) Rurallink is operated and staffed as part of the
Mental Health Emergency Response Line. On both occasions, MHERL was
unable to staff the shift due to unplanned staff absences.
(3) MHERL is funded through the Mental Health
Commission to operate a service 24/7, including the after- hours
Rurallink service. MHERL has a full staffing complement, and every effort is
made to ensure the service is adequately staffed at all times.
(4) Other 24-hour mental health crisis support is
available through emergency services, which can be contacted by phoning
000 or hospital emergency departments. This information is provided through the
MHERL and Rurallink answering service.
some notice of the question. The following has been provided to me by the
Minister for Health.
(1) There were
two occasions. These are the same two occasions referred to in question without
notice 99 asked in the Legislative Council on 12 March 2024 by Hon Martin Aldridge.
(2) Rurallink is operated and staffed as part of the
Mental Health Emergency Response Line. On both occasions, MHERL was
unable to staff the shift due to unplanned staff absences.
(3) MHERL is funded through the Mental Health
Commission to operate a service 24/7, including the after- hours
Rurallink service. MHERL has a full staffing complement, and every effort is
made to ensure the service is adequately staffed at all times.
(4) Other 24-hour mental health crisis support is
available through emergency services, which can be contacted by phoning
000 or hospital emergency departments. This information is provided through the
MHERL and Rurallink answering service.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.