Joint Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan 2026- 2029
Country South Australia
Statement from Executive
Country SA PHN and SA Health are pleased to present the Joint Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan 2026-2029 for country South Australia. Developed in partnership, the Joint Regional Plan reflects our shared commitment to enhancing mental health and wellbeing outcomes for people and communities across regional and remote South Australia. It recognises the interconnectivity between the regional services that are dedicated to delivering mental health and suicide prevention services across our vast country landscape. The Joint Regional Plan’s clear purpose is to achieve congruence on our shared priorities, to elicit change and improve outcomes for our local communities.
Mental health care in country South Australia is delivered through a dynamic system - spanning hospital, community and primary care services, alongside the critical contributions from consumers, carers, and communities who are integral partners in shaping services that are safe, effective and responsive. No single organisation can meet the mental health needs of all country South Australians alone. This Joint Regional
Plan represents a shared approach, grounded in collaboration, commissioning and joint stewardship, to strengthen the way our system works together.
Through planning, commissioning and service delivery alignment SA Health and Country SA PHN are working to reduce fragmentation, address service gaps and improve integration across State and Commonwealth funded services. This includes strengthening pathways across acute, community and primary mental health care, and supporting flexible, place-based responses that reflect the unique needs and strengths of country regions.
At the centre of this Joint Regional Plan is a commitment to person-centred and recoveryoriented care. Through shared governance, transparency and continuous learning, we aim to build a more connected, sustainable mental health system that delivers better outcomes for all country South Australians, regardless of where they live.
Mark Hartigan Chief Executive Officer
Country SA PHN
Robyn Lawrence Chief Executive Department for Health and Wellbeing
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge and respect the Traditional Custodians on whose ancestral land we live and work across country South Australia. We acknowledge the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to country.
In the spirit of reconciliation, partnership and mutual respect, we will continue to work together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to shape a mental health and suicide prevention system that responds to the needs and aspirations of community.
Recognition of people with lived and living experience
The Joint Regional Plan is centred in lived experience, with the voices of people living in country South Australia who have lived experience of mental health concerns and suicide distress and those bereaved by suicide considered in every aspect of the plan. We recognise lived experience knowledge and wisdom will enable person-centred care that better addresses the needs of people in regional and remote communities. We commit to meaningful engagement with those who have lived and living experience to enrich the development of mental health and suicide prevention service design, delivery and refinement for country South Australia. We also recognise the impact on families, carers and kin and are committed to working in genuine partnership to ensure these voices remain central to how we plan, design and deliver care.
Contributors
Thank you to the many representatives and delegates who contributed to the development of the Joint Regional Plan for country South Australia, spanning non-government organisations, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, peak bodies, local councils, general practice, people with lived experience, supporters and carers, community representatives, Local Health Networks, other Government organisations, advocates and Primary Health Networks.
We particularly recognise and thank those with lived and living experience of mental health and suicide who contributed their insights to shape a more inclusive and responsive system.
We extend our appreciation to all those who have contributed to the development of the Joint Regional Plan. The Joint Regional Plan has been enriched by the insights and expertise of a diverse range of people, whose contributions have been invaluable. We acknowledge their time and contributions made through meetings, workshops, presentations, phone calls, emails and surveys. Your collective wisdom, dedication, and commitment to improve mental health and reduce suicide is greatly appreciated.
Foreword
The Joint Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan 2026–2029 is a cornerstone initiative under the Bilateral Schedule on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention: South Australia, a collaborative agreement between the Commonwealth and state government. This Agreement recognises the urgent need to strengthen mental health and suicide prevention systems and commits to working in partnership to improve outcomes for all South Australians.
Country SA PHN and the Department for Health and Wellbeing are responsible for delivering the Joint Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan 2026-2029 for country South Australia. The Joint Regional Plan is reflective of the unique local needs of regional Local Health Networks and communities they serve; therefore, the six regional Local Health Networks too have shared responsibility to contribute to the delivery and implementation of a Joint Regional Plan.
Country SA PHN, the Department for Health and Wellbeing, South Australia’s six regional Local Health Networks and the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, will work together to improve the mental health and wellbeing of country South Australians. To achieve this, the parties will collaborate with existing and emerging community groups, be informed by people with lived experience and carers, and work together to facilitate local level responses with organisations and key partners for an improved mental health system.
Partnership is key to working towards the common objective of achieving the best possible mental health outcomes for our communities. Collaboration is also essential to ensure sustainable solutions to deliver an improved mental health and suicide prevention system that is comprehensive, coordinated, patient-centred and compassionate in our regions.
To inform this plan, Country SA PHN and the Department for Health and Wellbeing convened engagement across regional South Australia. This included a series of workshops, YourSAy survey, and engagements with health professionals, general practice, government and non-government organisations, Aboriginal leaders, people with lived experience, service leaders, clinicians, and people who live and work in country South Australia to provide their views on an improved mental health system (see Appendices for key stakeholders consulted).
It is recognised that the success of local level responses will be enabled through efforts and collaboration with key partners, including people with lived experience of mental health, general practice, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, education providers, social services and the broader health system. In regional communities, general practitioners play a vital role in the early identification, intervention and prevention of mental health concerns and this Joint Regional Plan is not intended to minimise or ignore this invaluable work. In some rural and remote locations, general practice may be the only mental health support available for a community. As such, genuine collaboration with key partners will seek to improve the quality of life for our community members, as reflected in the Joint Regional Plan. An implementation plan will be developed to progress initiatives and activities aligned to the Joint Regional Plan, to ensure all parties and partners are aware of the part they play in achieving the stated goals.
Our vision
Our shared vision is that by 2029, mental health and suicide prevention in country South Australia will be more connected, compassionate, culturally safe, and equitable, so that every person can access the right care at the right time, no matter where they live.
Strategic alignment
The Joint Regional Plan is intended to be read and actioned in accordance with the following strategies and plans:
National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan
National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2035
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy
Equally Well Consensus Statement
Vision 2030 for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Australia
South Australian Suicide Prevention Plan 2023-2026
South Australian Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020 – 2025
SA Health Mental Health Services Plan 2020-2025
Our region
All South Australia, apart from the Adelaide metropolitan area is considered the country South Australian region. Comprising 99.8% of the state (982,668km2) country South Australia is serviced by Country SA PHN, the Department for Health and Wellbeing, six regional Local Health Networks and one state-wide Women’s and Children’s Health Network. Geographically, more than half of country South Australia is classified as very remote and therefore there is minimal access to services.
Country South Australia has a total population of 530,407 people, which is approximately 30% of the state’s population. The population is widely dispersed across the region which impacts the provision of services, workforce distribution and people’s access to services. These are more pronounced in regional and remote locations, with long distances to travel, less access to services outside of metropolitan Adelaide, difficulties attracting and retaining the mental health workforce, experiences of stigma and shame in seeking mental health support, and privacy concerns when accessing support in often tight-knit communities.
Our region
As of 30 June 2022, 51% of the region’s population were found in the following areas:
• Mount Gambier, Whyalla, Murray Bridge, Port Lincoln, Port Pirie and Port Augusta – large regional towns collectively home to over 116,000 people and each serve as a hub for health care and other services for the area and surrounding regions.
• Gawler, Two Wells and the Adelaide Hills –peri-urban areas located along the northern and eastern metropolitan Adelaide boundary, with a combined population of almost 122,000 people. These areas have relatively high access to local and metropolitan health services, as well as other services.
• Victor Harbor, Goolwa and Port Elliott – coastal towns on the Fleurieu Peninsula within an hour’s drive of southern metropolitan Adelaide, home to over 29,500 people with a high proportion (43%) of persons aged over 65 years.
The remainder of the population live in small towns of up to 5,000 people, (many with less than 500 people), or are dispersed in the agricultural and outback regions of the state. To overcome challenges in receiving mental health care in our country regions, it’s important that services work together to support people accessing the mental health system, to provide the linkages and pathways, so the person can focus on recovery.
It’s critical that “the system and services work harder than the people trying to navigate it“ (lived experience quote).
Credit: Josh Geelen
Who
we are
Country SA PHN
Country SA PHN is the health network established by the Federal Government to service the country regions of South Australia. Country SA PHN’s vision is better health and wellbeing for all country South Australians. Country SA PHN’s mission is to bridge the gap of health inequity and access in rural South Australia by building a collaborative and responsive health care system. Country SA PHN aims to achieve this goal by:
• increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of health services for people, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes.
• improving the coordination of health care services to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.
• increasing access and quality support for people.
Department for Health and Wellbeing
The Department for Health and Wellbeing assists the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, to set the policy framework and strategic directions for SA Health.
The Department for Health and Wellbeing supports the delivery of public health services, formulates health policy, facilitates public and consumer consultation on health issues, and monitors the performance of South Australia’s health system by providing timely advice, research and administrative support.
Local Health Networks
There are six regional Local Health Networks (LHNs) within the Country SA PHN catchment:
• Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network
• Limestone Coast Local Health Network
• Eyre and Far North Local Health Network
• Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network
• Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network
• Yorke and Northern Local Health Network
The Local Health Networks are responsible for the planning and delivery of hospital and other community-based health services within their specific geographic region.
Country South Australia is also serviced by the state-wide Women’s and Children’s Health Network. The Women’s and Children’s Health Network provide specialty care and health services for women, babies, children and young people, and their families, in South Australia.
Our communities
Three quarters of country South Australia’s geography is classified as very remote
99.8% of the state is country South Australia*
982,668km2 within the country South Australia region
530,407 people in country South Australia (30% of South Australia’s population)
Most of country South Australia’s population is located in regional areas
Our population
Equal proportion of males and females
1 in 4 people aged 65+ years
4.8%
identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
1 in 2
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged under 25 years
19% born overseas
1 in 18 people speak a language other than English at home
11% live in remote or very remote areas
2,000 people experience homelessness or live in overcrowded dwellings
Between 2023 and 2030 the only age group expected to grow is people aged 65+ years
Our people’s mental health
5,073
people presented to a country SA hospital emergency department for a mental health assessment or treatment in 2022-23 (12% of total ED presentations)
22,415
people accessed mental health care services in the community (LHN or PHN service) in 2024-25 (208,948 service contacts) (excluding CAMHS services in regional SA)
4 out of 5
people who died by suicide were male
Rates of suicide and self-inflicted injuries of people aged 0 to 44 years in very remote South Australia were double those in the major city
13.4
per 100,000 people in very remote South Australia
6.6
per 100,000 people in the major city
Rates of suicide is significantly higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
52.7
per 100,000 people for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in South Australia
12.6 per 100,000 people in country South Australia
12.1
per 100,000 people in South Australia
According to the National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing:
1 in 6
people (~73,000) reported at least one mental health consultation in the past 12 months
58,000
adults reported high or very high levels of psychological distress
3.6% of people that had a mental health consultation reported using digital technology
36,000 people aged 16-85 years (8.7%) live with a co-occurring mental and physical health condition
%
Rates of mental health concerns increased with increasing remoteness in South Australia
Our mental health workforce
There is a significant shortage of mental health workforce in country South Australia*
1
psychiatrist per 100,000 people in country SA (compared to 16 per 100,000 people in Australia)
30 psychologists per 100,000 people in country SA (compared to 125 per 100,000 people in Australia)
36
mental health nurses per 100,000 people in country SA (compared to 96 per 100,000 people in Australia)
5
mental health occupation therapists per 100,000 people in country SA (compared to 10 per 100,000 people in Australia)
16 accredited mental health social workers per 100,000 people in country SA (compared to 11 per 100,000 people in Australia)
Our Local Health Networks
Country SA PHN catchment encompasses 6 Local Health Networks, with population proportion by each catchment (2023) shown
Source: SA Health (2024a-f)
Barossa Hills Fleurieu
8,992 people speak a language other than English (4.2%)
24.0% of adults had a current mental health condition
6.9% of adults reported suicide ideation
Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network covers the Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, Fleurieu Peninsula and the Barossa
222,685 people
15,354km2
total area (smallest of the 6 local health networks catchments geographically)
16.1% of country SA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live in the Barossa Hills Fleurieu catchment (1.5% of Barossa Hills Fleurieu’s population)
Kapunda catchment
32.3% of residents aged under 25 years
Eyre and Far North
Eyre and Far North Local Health Network covers the Eyre Peninsula and Far North, reaching to the Western Australian and Northern Territory borders
41,696 people
499,666km2 total area (50.8% of country South Australia)
1 in 8
people identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (12.1%)
25.0% of country SA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live in the Eyre and Far North catchment
3,980 people speak a language other than English (9.9%)
20.1% of adults had a current mental health condition
8.7% of adults reported suicide ideation
APY Lands catchment
42.2% of residents aged under 25 years and 3.8% aged 65+ years
88.2% identify as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person
Source:
Flinders and Upper North
3,030 people speak a language other than English (7.2%)
19.1% of adults had a current mental health condition
14.1% of adults reported suicide ideation
Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network spans from the Spencer Gulf to the border with the Northern Territory, including the communities of Hawker, Leigh Creek, Port Augusta, Roxby Downs, Quorn and Whyalla
43,623 people
331,491km2 total area
1 in 9 people identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (10.6%)
22.9% of country SA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live in the Flinders and Upper North catchment
1 in 6 people aged 65+ years (17.0%) (lowest proportion of the 6 local health network catchments)
Whyalla catchment
22,069 residents (largest population in the Flinders and Upper North catchment)
Limestone Coast
4,058 people speak a language other than English (6.1%)
18.4% of adults had a current mental health condition
9.9% of adults reported suicide ideation
Limestone Coast Local Health Network extends from Bordertown, Keith, Kingston, Lucindale, Millicent to Mount Gambier, Naracoorte and Penola
68,777 people
21,329km2 total area
7.9% of country SA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live in the Limestone Coast catchment (2.3% of Limestone Coast’s population)
Mount Gambier catchment
36,764 residents (largest population in the Limestone Coast catchment)
Source: SA Health
Riverland Mallee Coorong
Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network includes the Riverland, Murray River, Lakes and Coorong areas extending east to the Victorian border
70,856 people
47,775km2 total area
14.9% of country SA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live in the Riverland Mallee Coorong catchment (4.2% of Riverland Mallee Coorong’s population)
1 in 4
people aged 65+ years (24.5%)
970 people speak a language other than English (2.7%)
24.1% of adults had a current mental health condition
11.6% of adults reported suicide ideation
32.5% of residents aged 65+ years Mannum catchment
Yorke and Northern
217 people speak a language other than English (0.3%)
30.2% of adults had a current mental health condition
15.9% of adults reported suicide ideation
Yorke and Northern Local Health Network covers the Yorke Peninsula, Clare Valley, Lower and Mid North
76,962 people
72,043km2 total area 13.1% of country SA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live in the Yorke and Northern catchment (3.4% of Yorke and Northern’s population)
29.1% of residents aged under 25 years Port Pirie catchment
Groups disproportionately impacted
The Joint Regional Plan is for all South Australians living or working in the catchments of the Country SA PHN region, or the six SA Health regional Local Health Networks. However, we must be cognisant of the diversity and intersectionality of its population and take care and consideration when working with the following groups who may be disproportionately impacted by mental illness and/or suicide, and who may also experience inequity of access, disproportionate harm or require support via alternate models of care.
The people identified through this planning process are:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Asexual, and other sexually or gender diverse (LGBTIQA+) people
• Children and young people
• People living in isolated and remote locations
• People living with a disability
• People experiencing or at risk of homelessness
• People with comorbidities (e.g. alcohol and other drug issues)
• Culturally and linguistically diverse people
• Older people
• People impacted by environmental stressors
• People in the perinatal period
• Carers, kin and families
Principles
A set of 12 principles will underpin the work to achieve the actions outlined in the Joint Regional Plan. Together we seek to build a community and mental health system in country South Australia where the following principles are upheld:
Respect: People feel respected, safe, and heard.
Early intervention and prevention: Ensuring people have access to services earlier (including primary health care and general practice), and preventive services, before reaching crisis.
Integration: Genuine integration across government, non-government (NGO), and local providers, and across primary, secondary and tertiary services, ensuring people can move through the system, so that care is seamless. Care is given that addresses the whole person — mental health, physical health, social connection, employment, education, housing, alcohol and other drugs, and gambling.
Cultural connection: Fostering a sense of belonging, cultural consideration, cultural authority, self-determination and cultural connection.
Empowered communities: Communities are empowered with peer-led networks and support systems; communities play a central role in teaching mental health literacy, resilience, and coping skills.
Reducing stigma: Stigma around mental health and suicide is reduced; conversations become normalised across all community members.
Holistic view of Aboriginal health and wellbeing: Aboriginal health and wellbeing is viewed in holistic context, communities lead healing on country, and the impacts of intergenerational trauma are reduced.
Coordinated and collaborative care: Services are collaborative, culturally safe and sensitive. Sharing information and delivering coordinated care so people do not have to retell their story and people get the right help at the right time (no silos).
Equity and access: Access is stress-free, timely, and equitable across metropolitan, regional, and remote areas.
Skilled workforce: Workforce is supported, well-resourced, skilled and retained in regional areas, to reduce inequity of access and provide sustainable solutions.
Trauma-informed care: Services are trauma-informed, person-centred, and trusted.
Proactive and adaptive: The system is proactive, joined-up, and flexible — forecasting needs (e.g. climate crises) and responding strategically, safe spaces provide proactive supports that reduce isolation and stigma. The system is open to new ways of thinking and working and adapts to advancements in technology to improve service delivery.
Priorities for action
Country South Australia faces unique challenges due to its vast geography, dispersed populations, and limited access to services. The Joint Regional Plan responds to these realities by ensuring that strategies are locally relevant, culturally safe, and designed to meet the needs of regional and remote communities across six Local Health Networks.
The five Priorities for Action are the practical ideas for change. For each priority area, there is a focus on tailoring solutions to the regional and remote context, developing collaborative ways of working, and improving system performance through integration, coordination and proactive care.
Our leverage points
The following shared commitment defines our role, how we engage, contribute and influence change across the mental health and suicide prevention system for country South Australia. The actions represent where Country SA PHN, the Department for Health and Wellbeing, Local Health Networks and regional mental health services have agency and authority to act - the leverage points that move us collectively toward the desired goals.
Priority 1: Be compassionate in our response, reduce stigma and build connections for people with mental health concerns
Priority 2: Work together to enhance the mental health, social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Priority 3: Develop partnerships to improve service integration and provide holistic care
Priority 4: Improve outcomes for people seeking mental health support by strengthening our workforce and systems
Priority 5: Make it easier for people to access the mental health services they need to reduce health inequalities
Be compassionate in our response, reduce stigma and build connections for people with mental health concerns
Why this opportunity?
We need to improve the culture and care of people with lived experience of mental health challenges, to normalise seeking help, and increase the number of people receiving mental health support.
What we heard
Education and awareness are important to dispel the myths around mental illness and suicide.
Strong care networks, cultural connections, and open conversations act as protective factors that help people thrive by addressing risk factors of loneliness, overcoming stigma, and feelings of disconnection.
People want welcoming and safe places where they can seek help at the first signs of mental health distress rather than reaching a crisis point before seeking help.
What the Joint Regional Plan seeks to achieve
Aim Goal
1.1 Reduce stigma and normalise seeking help.
1.2 Strengthen a culture of compassionate and coordinated care for people experiencing mental health challenges.
1.3 Build and maintain community resilience and strong community connections.
Reduce structural stigma and discrimination experienced by people facing mental health challenges, trauma, or distress to normalise help seeking behaviour.
Improve care networks and awareness of local supports, by encouraging services to connect with communities in creative ways.
1.4 Champion activities that ensure a compassionate and welcoming mental health service.
1.5 Advocate for inclusive practices which recognise the diversity of regional communities.
Involve mentors, as well as a youth and adult peer workforce, to advocate, guide and support people to engage with support services and facilitate social connections.
1.6 Incorporate local voices into service design and delivery.
Support training on trauma-informed care and the impact of stigma, to make people feel safe, supported, accepted, and welcomed.
Employ inclusive support strategies for people disproportionately impacted by mental illness and/or suicide and facing additional challenges to their mental health and wellbeing.
Engage and collaborate with communities on service design to improve outcomes in their regions.
Where we work together to create change through our shared commitment to:
1 Ongoing community and lived experience involvement to strengthen communities’ ties in the service design, planning, and delivery of services.
2 Support community-led strategies, approaches and activities that build community resilience and empowerment, improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and promote self-care and wellbeing.
3 Champion coordinated shared care approaches across the mental health sector to improve continuity of care (particularly focussing on people disproportionately impacted by mental health illness and/or suicide), that can be best met by teams or agencies working closely together.
4 Provide safe, trusted and supportive mental health care through building stronger relationships with our communities, and increasing awareness about mental health and wellbeing.
Work together to enhance the mental health, social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander communities
Why this opportunity?
We recognise that mental health and suicide prevention cannot be separated from culture, country, and community and a coordinated, holistic approach linked by cooperation, trust and understanding is needed to close the gap. We recognise the physical and mental health disparity experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and want to take action to reduce the gap.
What we heard
Healing is found in culture, community, and connection, and unless the system makes space for these, Aboriginal people will continue to carry the heaviest burdens of suicide and poor mental health.
Aboriginal mental health and suicide prevention must not be an add-on but the foundation of the Joint Regional Plan.
The medical model doesn’t work for all and needs to be challenged.
Aboriginal leadership and community governance is essential for service design and delivery that is culturally informed and should be centred in Aboriginal voices.
What the Joint Regional Plan seeks to achieve
Aim Goal
2.1 Embed the Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework across all services.
2.2 Incorporate Aboriginal knowledge and leadership at every level (service planning, design and delivery).
2.3 Build and upskill the Aboriginal mental health workforce.
2.4 Ensure all services are culturally welcoming, culturally safe and value privacy and confidentiality.
2.5 Create opportunities to engage with local Aboriginal Elders and mentors to train the local workforce.
2.6 Integrate traditional healing practices with clinical care.
2.7 Targeted suicide prevention and postvention services are culturally competent and informed by local Aboriginal communities.
Prioritise the development or improvement of services and models of care that incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on health, healing and wellbeing and where possible ensure Aboriginal health is delivered by Aboriginal-led services.
Establish leadership opportunities, commissioning and funding protocols that considers cultural and community needs of Aboriginal people and service providers at all levels (e.g. tender procurement process, partnership, co-design, program activities, and service delivery).
Encourage further educational training and create professional development opportunities for the Aboriginal mental health workforce and peer workforce.
Redesign mental health services to ensure they are culturally safe and sensitive, including but not limited to, assisting health professionals to overcome language and cultural barriers when providing support.
Improve the cultural responsiveness of the mainstream system’s workforce by investing in training by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainers.
Ensure that Ngangkari (traditional healers) and traditional healing methods are inclusive and respected in mental health and suicide prevention services.
Ensure services are guided by the evidence base regarding suicide prevention and postvention and programs are informed by local cultural knowledge.
Where
we work together to create change through our shared commitment to: Priority 2
1 Build ongoing relationships and connections between mental health and suicide prevention services, general practice, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in each region, to work together on the aims of the Joint Regional Plan.
2 Recognise the significance of cultural practice and cultural connections, by seeking to identify cultural requirements and use this to inform the path to support when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are engaging with services.
3 Create partnerships with Aboriginal leadership, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to deliver better ways of working that are culturally safe and sensitive, and where a supported Social and Emotional Wellbeing model can be delivered.
4 Increase awareness, identification of support, and advocacy needed to facilitate access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to appropriate services in regional and remote locations.
Develop partnerships to improve service integration and provide holistic care
Why this opportunity?
Service integration, and the associated partnerships, is key to improving the overall quality of life of people with mental health challenges.
What we heard
Mental health, physical health, social determinants of health and alcohol and other drug concerns should be treated concurrently, not under a separate, fragmented, system. Services must take a whole-of-person approach.
Addressing co-morbidity is not optional — it is central to effective care and critical to recovery.
Support services to collaborate, build community connections and work together across sectors (health, education, primary industries, transport, housing, justice).
What the Joint Regional Plan seeks to achieve
3.1 Advance services working together to provide holistic care.
3.2 Ensure services meet the needs of individuals who transition between services.
Integrate mental health, physical health, alcohol and other drugs, and social and emotional wellbeing services so people receive holistic support.
Work collaboratively using evidence informed assessments and protocols, to improve coordination and continuity of care, and information sharing when people move between services (step up or step down, age out of services, etc.).
3.3 Employ flexible and collaborative care across services to maximise outcomes for people.
3.4 Refine internal and external referral pathways, so a person only tells their story once.
3.5 Promote holistic care through service integration to maximise outcomes for people with mental health challenges.
Support service providers in forming regional networks and partnerships to effectively utilise local resources (workforce, collaborative commissioning, information sharing), such as integrated service hubs.
Formalise partnerships and agreed ways of working with service providers, to streamline referral pathways and service transitions without delay.
Work with multiple services and support networks (e.g. schools, youth organisations, suicide prevention support networks, etc.) to develop holistic and integrated care plans, which combines mental health, physical health, alcohol and other drugs, and social supports, and abides the Equally Well principles.
3
Where we work together to create change through our shared commitment to:
1 Collaborate to identify and address the diverse needs of individuals, via a multidisciplinary assessment for people entering mental health services.
2 Incorporate an evidence-based screening tool to detect and respond to physical health and other co-morbidities for individuals engaging with mental health services.
3 Establish service level agreements, memorandum of understandings and formal partnerships across service providers.
4 Collaborate and identify opportunities for co-commissioning across the mental health sector to ensure contemporary mental health services and models of care are in place and are responsive to community need.
5 Develop consistent policies and practices that support information sharing across agencies focussing on points of care transition.
Improve outcomes for people seeking mental health support by strengthening our workforce and systems
Why this opportunity?
The health outcomes of people can only be improved by creating a system that works harder than the person accessing it.
What we heard
Navigation to be part of the broader redesign, ensure services are mapped, pathways are clear, and people are actively supported to connect with services.
Workforce needs to be available in smaller and more remote locations (GPs, mental health, allied health).
Building workforces where services are needed and resourced appropriately.
Opportunities for local people to be trained (grow your own workforce).
Providing incentives to attract and retain a stable regional workforce, reducing the disruption of high staff turnover.
What the Joint Regional Plan seeks to achieve
Aim Goal
4.1 Champion activities which improve data sharing in our region.
4.2 Reduce procedural barriers to accessing mental health supports.
4.3 Simplify mental health and wellbeing service navigation.
4.4 Improve community’s awareness, knowledge and understanding of available services.
4.5 Embed core competency training requirements for the mental health and peer workforce.
4.6 Build, strengthen and sustain a strong lived experience and peer support network.
4.7 Attract, build and retain a local workforce.
4.8 Ensure lived experience people’s voices are captured and incorporated at every level (service planning, design, delivery, governance, and review).
Strengthen communication systems and data-sharing processes to prevent people falling through the cracks, whilst gaining a deeper understanding of regional needs.
Streamline mental health referral pathways by having a singular intake point for service triage.
Introduce care coordinators, service navigators and peer workers to walk alongside and reduce the burden on individuals, families and carers.
Ensure information about mental health, suicide prevention, and alcohol and other drug services are accurate and appropriately provided to the Medicare Mental Health phone service.
Provide training on cultural safety, trauma-informed care, and how to identify and respond to suicide risk as core competencies for all mental health workers.
Enable continuous development and learning for the lived experience workforce.
Encourage strategies to ‘grow your own’ local workforce, and support incentives to attract and retain a skilled workforce in regional areas.
Establish opportunities, commissioning, and funding protocols which include people with lived experience at all levels (e.g. tender procurement process, partnership, co-design, program activities, and service delivery).
Where we work together to create change through our shared commitment to: Priority 4
1 Collect and share data that assists to inform local responses, advocacy based on population needs and proactively respond to areas of community concern.
2 Utilise a consistent approach and understanding of a persons’ mental health needs based on the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST).
3 Formalise a centralised service directory and referral system for assessing and referring individuals with mental health conditions to the most appropriate support based on their individual needs via the Medicare Mental Health phone service.
4 Improve workforce competency through training and development opportunities on evidence-based treatment for suicidality, trauma-informed care, and cultural safety and sensitivity.
5 Collaborate on a fit for purpose, consistent lived experience workforce model, professional development and practice standards across country South Australia.
6 Strengthen opportunities for lived experience workforce supervision and capability building through the establishment of peer worker-oriented networks in partnership with NGO’s and state government.
Make it easier for people to access the mental health services they need to reduce health inequalities
Why this opportunity?
Country South Australians will continue to experience poorer health outcomes unless action is taken to improve equity of access to mental health services for regional and remote communities.
What we heard
People need access to timely, affordable, and appropriate care, regardless of where they live.
Many country regions have a lack of services: they may not have any service at all or not have a service for all levels of care. Choice of providers is not common.
Solutions should reflect the realities of regional life (cost, distance, transient workforce, privacy, confidentiality).
Continuity of care is particularly important in small communities, where turnover erodes trust and makes people reluctant to start over with yet another new provider.
No silos or differentiation between state, Commonwealth and NGO services – no barriers or visible differences for the person moving through/across services – or for people who transition across life stages (e.g. youth to adult services).
What the Joint Regional Plan seeks to achieve
Aim Goal
5.1 Provide opportunities for people to seek help early before reaching a crisis point.
5.2 Make it easier for people to access the services they need when they need them.
5.3 Tailor approaches for regional and rural contexts.
5.4 Complement digital mental health supports with local face-to-face options.
5.5 Provide support and care for young people that are centred around their needs.
5.6 Expand community-based alternates to hospital care.
5.7 Ensure equity in mental health services access for all priority populations.
5.8 Strengthen the suicide prevention system.
Promote help-seeking behaviour and resilience in communities, to support early intervention and prevent suicidal distress and mental health deterioration.
Promote innovation in response to local mental health care needs, with particular focus on improving service effectiveness, response times, delivery options, and regional accessibility.
Adapt services and models of care for those disproportionately impacted by mental illness and/or suicide and who may face additional barriers.
Empower people to exercise agency over how they access services, based on their own flexibility, time, and preferences.
Expand access to specialist services for children and young people, including early psychosis, that is high-quality, effective, and culturally safe.
Limit disruption to family, culture, employment and community connection through providing timely mental health care delivered through community based contemporary service models.
Leverage flexible service delivery models and integrated care pathways to ensure timely access to people disproportionately impacted by mental illness and/or suicide.
Enhance coordination and expand delivery of evidencebased suicide prevention, intervention and aftercare.
Priority 5
Where we work together to create change through our shared commitment to:
1 Making mental health information accessible to meet the diverse needs of all community members.
2 Build community awareness and utilise existing touchpoints, entry points and contacts within communities (e.g. sporting clubs, community centres) to educate and normalise help seeking and explore ways to reduce barriers to help seeking and timely access to supports.
3 Respond and shift services depending on location, rurality and local community need.
4 Advocate for the growth and development of mental health services that are fit for purpose into regional locations that address service gaps and population needs.
5 Embed contemporary models of suicide prevention and education across all mental health practice areas.
List of abbreviations
ACCHO
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
IAR-DST
Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool
GP
General Practitioner
LGBTIQA+
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Asexual, and other sexually or gender diverse
LHN
Local Health Network
NGO
Non-Government Organisation
PHN
Primary Health Network
SA
South Australia
Glossary of terms
Digital health
Is a general term, describing the remote delivery of health services via video and telecommunications technology.
Discrimination
The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of ethnicity, age, sex, or disability.
Integrated care
Refers to the provision of effective, seamless and efficient care that considers the whole of a person’s health needs; including physical, mental health and social needs, and delivered in partnership with the individual, their carers and family.
Lived experience
Lived experience in mental health refers to the personal experiences of individuals with mental health conditions, their families and supporters.
Medicare Mental Health
Medicare Mental Health is the national phone service funded by the Australian government and is a gateway to mental health advice, guidance and support across Australia.
Peer worker
A person who provides social, emotional and practical support to individuals facing similar challenges, often drawing from their own personal experiences.
Stigma
Stigma in mental health refers to an unfair negative attitude or belief, or social exclusion towards a person who may experience or is perceived to experience a mental health challenge.
Supervision
Supervision in mental health is a critical part of professional practice, ensuring mental health professionals deliver safe, high-quality care. It involves a structured process where qualified supervisors provide guidance, feedback, and support to supervisees.
Appendices
Key stakeholders: SA government departments and agencies
Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network
Central Adelaide Local Health Network
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
Child Death and Serious Injury Review Committee
Department for Health and Wellbeing
Eyre and Far North Local Health Network
Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network
LGBTIQA+ Minister’s Advisory Council | Department of Human Services
Limestone Coast Local Health Network
Office of the Chief Psychiatrist
Office of the Commissioner for Children and Young People
Office of the Mental Health Commissioner of South Australia
Preventive Health SA
Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network
Rural and Remote Mental Health Service
Women’s and Children’s Health Network
Yorke and Northern Local Health Network
Youth Minister’s Advisory Council | Department of Human Services
Key stakeholders: Non-government, peak bodies, community services and volunteer groups
Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia
Adelaide Primary Health Network
Enhance Barossa Mental Health
FocusOne Health
General practitioners
Mariposa Trails
Mental Health Coalition of South Australia
Military and Emergency Services Health Australia
Mind Australia
Moorundi Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service
Neami National
Sonder Care
SA Lived Experience Leadership and Advocacy Network
South Australian West Coast ACCHO Network
South Australian Youth Forum
Key stakeholders: Community members
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Cultural and linguistically diverse communities
Carers of people with a mental health condition
People with lived experience of mental health conditions
People with lived experience of alcohol and other drug concerns
People living with a disability
People experiencing or at risk of homelessness
LGBTIQA+ people
Young people
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2021a). Remoteness Areas.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2021b). ERP by SA2 and above (ASGS Edition 3), 2001 onwards.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2023). 2020-22 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Mental health, Primary Health Networks - modelled estimates.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2024). Causes of Death, Australia, 2023.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2024a). Mental Health Workforce.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2024b). Mortality Over Regions and Time (MORT) books.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2024c). Suicide & self-harm monitoring.
Health Q Consulting. (2024). Homelessness Access Needs Assessment – Part A. [unpublished].
Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) (2025). Social Health Atlas of Australia: Primary Health Network and Population Health Areas – March 2025.
SA Health (2024a). Barossa Hills Fleurieu LHN Service Profile 2022-23. [unpublished].
SA Health (2024b). Eyre and Far North LHN Service Profile 2022-23. [unpublished].
SA Health (2024c). Flinders and Upper North LHN Service Profile 2022-23. [unpublished].
SA Health (2024d). Limestone Coast LHN Service Profile 2022-23. [unpublished].
SA Health (2024e). Riverland Mallee Coorong LHN Service Profile 2022-23. [unpublished].
SA Health (2024f). Yorke and Northern LHN Service Profile 2022-23. [unpublished].
