In 2013, the Mental Health Commission of NSW held a series of forums with communities in regional towns across NSW in order to understand more about the particular needs and experiences of people with mental illness who live outside metropolitan areas. The feedback from the forums informed the Commission’s subsequent recommendations for the reform of the mental health system.
Since those initial forums, the Commission has completed Living Well: A Strategic Plan for Mental Health in NSW 2014-2024 a plan for whole of government mental health reform.
In 2015 the Commission returned to regional NSW to visit towns including Broken Hill, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Queanbeyan, Goulburn and Bega to gauge and promote awareness of the Strategic Plan at the Local Health District level, and to learn about any early steps towards mental health reform. The Commission was keen to hear about inspiring examples of excellence in person-focused, recovery-oriented mental health care. These videos capture some of these inspiring examples.
