11
Dec
2018
When: Wednesday 12 December at 11am
Where: headspace Grafton, 59 Duke St, Grafton
Just days before the community event to celebrate the first anniversary of headspace Grafton (18 December), media are invited to a special funding announcement.
The announcement by the Federal Member for Page Mr Kevin Hogan on 12 December is about increased funding that NCPHN has provided to GenHealth, the organisation that runs headspace Grafton. The additional funding is providing expanded youth mental health services to the young people of Yamba, Maclean and Iluka.
NCPHN has commissioned additional Commonwealth funding of $130,000 for the new services. This means that young people showing signs of mental distress, or who are at risk of developing mental health issues will not have to travel to Grafton to see a mental health professional.
• The Yamba service started in late September at the Raymond Laurie Sports Centre and also services the Iluka community. It operates on Mondays between 9am and 3pm.
• The weekly Maclean service starts in February next year at 13 Rannoch Avenue Maclean.
headspace provides holistic care for young people aged 12 to 25 in four key areas – mental health, physical health, alcohol and other drug use, and social and vocational support. Youth workers and mental health professionals are able to provide counselling and other support to young people and refer them to other services as required.
headspace Grafton has also been working closely with the community to develop mental health initiatives both through its centre and in local schools.
Mr Hogan said he was delighted to be part of a Government so committed to caring for the mental health of Australia’s young people.
“Providing professional help in smaller towns is crucial. We know that the closer to home mental health services are, the easier it is for young people to get the help they need when they need it,” he said.
headspace Grafton’s General Manager Jason Grimes said the new Maclean and Yamba sites offered a range of health services.
“These include access to mental health professionals, referral services to GPs, psychologist, alcohol and drug treatment assistance and other services that up to now have only been available at headspace in Grafton.
“The young people of Yamba, Maclean and Iluka will be welcomed by friendly and supportive health workers and staff and receive the best holistic health care on offer,” he added.
Mr Grimes said he was very proud of what the centre’s staff had achieved since the official opening in December last year. In particular he paid tribute to the efforts of Community Engagement Manager Mark McGrath.
“headspace Grafton has been warmly welcomed by the community and our first anniversary is a significant milestone. We look forward to celebrating next Tuesday 18 December here at our centre. Please come along and join us anytime between 2pm and 5pm on that day.”
Since headspace Grafton opened:
346 individual young people have received services from Youth Access Clinicians, psychologists, psychiatry and general practitioners.
The centre has provided 1,599 occasions of service to people who have attended for assistance.
Since July 2018, 2,491 individuals have been provided service outside the centre. This has come through headspace presentations and various mental health first aid training packages delivered to schools, other services, local businesses and groups of parents throughout the Clarence Valley.
Mr Grimes said coming into the New Year it’s anticipated the services provided within headspace Grafton will continue to increase, with on average 30 to 35 new young people attending the service each month. Occasions of service provided outside the centre are expected to remain at around 5,000 individuals per year.
NCPHN Announces Mental Health Funding Boost for Lismore
Seniors Week: Come to Morning Tea at Lake Cathie and Get a Free Bus Ride to and from the Seniors Expo in Port Macquarie
Strategic Priority Area: One team
North Coast is identified as the region most likely to be impacted by climate change in Australia and also forecasted greatest growth in those 65+.
Healthy North Coast takes a lead role in ensuring the older population and the sector that supports them are prepared for, can respond to and recover from disasters and other emergencies.
We have led eight regional disaster management capacity building workshops, bringing together SES, community organisations and the aged care sector.
We have also developed disaster preparedness tip sheets for both residential and community aged care providers.
Strategic Priority Area: One team
In May 2022, the NSW Parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022. Effective from Tuesday, 28 November 2023, eligible people have the choice to access voluntary assisted dying.
Healthy North Coast has developed a webpage for both health professionals and consumers, with links to available information and resources.
Strategic Priority Area: No one is left behind
Healthy North Coast has worked with people living with dementia, their families and local service providers to develop an information booklet that will help them connect with local and national supports along their journey.
Highly regarded by a range of professional supporting those on or starting the dementia journey, the booklet includes commonly asked questions for people to ask their GP and/or specialist.
“It’s a fantastic resource and I give it to everyone on their first diagnosis. Its easy to read, so well planned and thought through and has lots of really useful information, tailored to the region.
I also find it very helpful when educating clinical staff.”
−Geropsychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Mid North Coast.
The resource is available in digital and printed copies, with more than 5,000 distributed across the region. An e-version is available to clinicians via the Dementia and Cognitive Impairment HealthPathway.
Strategic Priority Area: One team
Empowering aged care teams to deliver safer, more consistent care.
The Deteriorating Resident Triage Tool (DRRT) supports aged care staff to confidently recognise and respond to signs of resident deterioration. It enables timely, evidence-based decisions, strengthens communication with health services, and promotes early intervention and effective care planning, helping residents receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place. By doing so, it reduces unnecessary Emergency Department presentations and improves resident outcomes.
Developed in collaboration with a specialist geriatrician and informed by input from Residential Aged Care Managers, NSW Ambulance, GPs, and clinical experts across the Mid and North Coast Local Health Districts, the DRRT is practical, relevant, and aligned with contemporary best practice.
Aligned with the Strengthened Quality Standards:
Strategic Priority Area: No one is left behind
Care finders is a free service to assist older adults connect to aged care services and supports. Care finders support older people who experience significant barriers to accessing services, and walk alongside their clients at their own pace, to understand their individual situation and support them to work through the steps to address their needs. Care finders assist people with access to other supports in the community. They can provide connections both with accessing services for the first time, and with changing or finding new services and supports if their needs change.
Care finders can:
The care finder program has been extended to June 2029 and is provided by the following organisations. Each (Lismore, Coffs Harbour, Clarence Valley, Richmond Valley, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Kempsey, Nambucca and Bellingen) and Footprints (Kyogle, Tweed, Byron and Ballina).
Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now
Healthy North Coast commissions two service providers to deliver psychological therapies and supports for older people with, or at risk of developing, a mental illness and who are living in residential aged care homes (RACHs).
The aim of the program is to both provide direct support to residents and their families and carers, as well as upskill the RACH workforce to respond to the needs of residents presenting with mental health concerns.
Strategic Priority Area: Securing a Healthier Future
Connection and a sense of belonging are protective factors for both individual and community health and wellbeing. Evidence highlights that the social determinants of health play a critical role in addressing many of our regions health challenges.
That’s why Healthy North Coast has long been committed to supporting communities to strengthen and to build social health. Our initiatives, including contemporary ‘Social Prescribing’, help people to connect to activities, supports and each other, and assist communities to integrate services and bridge gaps.
Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety identified several critical areas affecting aged care residents and our health system. Key challenges include:
Telehealth offers valuable opportunities to enhance support for residents living in aged care homes. Funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, this initiative provides telehealth equipment and staff training as part of the response to the Royal Commission’s findings.
By improving access to primary care clinicians, specialist services, and other service providers through telehealth, we can significantly enhance health outcomes for residents, reducing unnecessary hospital transfers and emergency department visits.
The selection of telehealth equipment was guided by our Healthy Ageing Strategy (HAS), a comprehensive digital discovery questionnaire, and consultation workshops with various stakeholders. These efforts included interviews with residents to understand their attitudes toward telehealth, ensuring the initiative meets their needs and preferences.
Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now
Aims to provide people who have life limiting conditions the opportunity to exercise choice and receive high quality care at home, harnessing improved and better coordinated supports and services that meet their individual needs.
Program objectives:
These objectives will contribute to achieving the following intended overarching outcomes of:
Funding is open to all primary care providers within disaster affected communities across the Healthy North Coast footprint.
Workforce Locum support and R&R funding criteria
Wellbeing Flexible Funding Criteria & Eligibility
| *Team Size (Total staff and contractors) | Funding Available |
| Small (1-5) | $500-$1500 |
| Medium (6-20) | $1500-$4000 |
| Large (>20) | $4000-$5000 |
