Lived Experience Forum

[CannonSalt]

So I was reading an article which gave a broad history of mental health care (Mental health changes should be judged on outcomes, not promises ), and I came across a new term to me - Primary Health Networks (PHNs), which was apparently set up under the Abbott Government (replacing an older scheme). Does anyone here have any experience of or knowledge of the Primary Health Networks?

[Acacia]

Hi @CannonSalt

Thank you for bringing this up. I have heard that Primary Health Networks were set up last year to replace Medicare Locals. There are 31 PHNs in Australia and the idea is that they are the health care coordinator for the local area: they help distribute government funding and I believe they are also able to provide consumers with details of services in their local area. You can read more about it here.

It would be interesting to here from anyone who has accessed services through a PHN and if they have any tips for doing so. The mental health system changes so much, it can get quite confusing trying to keep on top of it.

[LustStarrr]

Hi @CannonSalt, I sit on our local PHN's Community Advisory Council, after answering a call-out for service users to provide feedback. It's a bimonthly panel discussion which allows us to discuss our experiences with local care providers & give feedback. Their website is pretty good, it acts as a community & professional hub of sorts, to locate services : http://www.healthygc.com.au/Home.aspx

[CannonSalt]

That sounds really cool, @LustStarrr - do you feel like the feedback system is taken seriously? So PHNs are like directories of health services? How did you go about accessing services through the PHN? Are you generally happy with the PHN?

[LustStarrr]

Having reached the point in my illness where I'm so sick of this broken, ineffective system, I can't help but give any feedback I can, when I can. This experience with the Advisory Council has been above & beyond, the most positive opportunity I've encountered, in that I feel that not only is my opinion heard & relayed to the relevant sectors, but that they then provide a comprehensive response to our feedback at the next meeting, along with advising us how they intend to take steps to address it. That, I tell you, is a pleasant change to a lot of responses I've encountered when offering up my lived experience in an attempt to make a change for the better.

I came across the opportunity to volunteer as a representative by chance, via the newsletter Queensland Voice for Mental Health (www.qldvoice.org.au) sends me, which I only read occasionally. I would encourage others to keep an eye out for similar opportunities to get involved in things of this nature - we may actually get our voices heard!