Chief Psychiatrist's annual report 2008-09 - Department of Health

Foreword
Two important reports released in the 2008–09 financial year will influence mental health policy
and service delivery over the coming years. The first was the development of a new whole-ofgovernment
reform strategy for mental health, which culminated, in March 2009, in the release
of Because mental health matters. Victorian Mental Health Reform Strategy 2009–2019.
The second was the review of the Mental Health Act 1986.
Both initiatives were large-scale undertakings, underpinned by a broadly-based consultative
process. Each is expected to contribute, over time, to the further development of a mental health
service system that is increasingly responsive to the diverse needs of consumers and their carers
and families.
The Office of the Chief Psychiatrist actively contributed to these initiatives and will play an equally
important role in helping to monitor and shape the impact of structural change upon clinical
practice in mental health services; and in assisting with the implementation of the new legislation
once it is enacted and promulgated.
For the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, 2008–09 was also a year of transition. Adjunct Professor
Kuruvilla George held the position of Chief Psychiatrist on a part-time basis until May 2009, when
Dr Ruth Vine was appointed to the position. Professor George was assisted in the course of the year
by Professor Mark Oakley-Browne, Associate Professor Ravi Bhat, Dr Steve Macfarlane and Dr David
Huppert as deputy chief psychiatrists. A new position of Deputy Chief Psychiatrist, Child and Youth
Mental Health, was created in March 2009.
I commend Professor Kuruvilla George upon his accomplishments as Chief Psychiatrist from
September 2007 to May 2009 and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the role of
Deputy Chief Psychiatrist, Aged Persons Mental Health. The appointment of Dr Sandra Radovini
as the inaugural Deputy Chief Psychiatrist for Child and Youth Mental Health places the office in
a good position to guide the development of a new service model for child and youth mental health
services, which is a major objective of the Mental Health Reform Strategy.
Achievements over the past year include:
• completion of the Creating Safety project, which aims to foster the creation of safe and
therapeutic inpatient environments, in which the use of seclusion and restraint can be
significantly reduced
• the development and publication of a new Electroconvulsive therapy manual
• contribution to the development of a mental health response to assist persons affected by the
February 2009 Victorian bushfires
• the development and publication of a new Chief Psychiatrist guideline on restricted involuntary
treatment orders and restricted community treatment orders
• completion of a memorandum of understanding between the Chief Psychiatrist and the Health
Services Commissioner regarding the handling of complaints
• collaboration with other stakeholders on a range of clinical and strategic initiatives, including the
development of a new triage tool and reviews of the statewide child inpatient unit and adolescent
inpatient units
• participation in cross-border consultations with stakeholders and membership of a steering group
developing guidelines for cross-border arrangements.