Gippsland people want to access health care that meets their needs and stage of recovery, when they need it, according to a new report released by Gippsland Primary Health Network.
The comprehensive report, ‘What Gippsland community want for their mental health and wellbeing’, is a compilation of insights and priorities collected from various Gippsland PHN projects from 2020 to 2022. The report also includes insights from partner organisations.
Gippsland PHN projects includes codesign of the Primary Mental Health Care and Alcohol and Other Drugs Commissioning strategies, community consultation to inform chronic disease risk factor screening for the Latrobe Health Innovation Zone and placed-based suicide prevention trials.
Partner organisations insights which helped inform the report include the Latrobe Health Assembly’s work to codesign a mental health café and a social prescribing model and insights from the Latrobe Health Advocate engagement activities between 2020 and 2022.
Gippsland PHN Acting Chief Executive Officer, Angela Jacob, said the report provided clear and consistent information about what communities want from their care.
“They want a more holistic approach to their health – looking at physical and mental health together and working with multiple chronic conditions at the same time,” Mrs Jacob said. “They would like comprehensive health-related support for both the physical and mental implications of their conditions. This includes non-judgemental and supports for smoking reduction.”
The report reveals that some community members are deterred from accessing health care by unpleasant experiences some health professionals. This includes experiences of language or cultural barriers; difficulty or overly complex systems and processes; being rushed or judged.
Read the full media release, including feedback from consumers, here.
