Mental Health Matters: support the Consumer & Carer Relations Directorate

To whom it may concern;

This is an open letter of public information that you may not be aware of. MONASH HEALTH is one of Victoria’s major health services; providing care for thousands of Victorians every year.

One of the focuses within MONASH HEALTH is mental health and the services that they provide. They have been leaders in change and development within the service and have been recognized nationally for their efforts. That was until now.

MONASH HEALTH are proposing that the Consumer & Carer Relations Directorate be closed down and replaced with volunteers. Aside for the fact that this will be detrimental to consumers and their families; it is also putting lives at risk as this service has helped to find guidance and support to families in their time of great need and distress. The CEO of Monash Health; Shelly Park has stressed to me repeatedly that this decision is not final, however the staff have been informed that they will no longer have a job as of June 1st 2015.

This decision is not for the benefit of the community, nor is it beneficial to the 1,500 consumers that the Directorate services in the area. The unjustified decision was not made with concern or input from any of the statistics that prove the service is a vital part of the recovery process, Nor was it made by an independent consumer with lived experience of mental health. It was made without justification or fairness to its employees and consumers.

This decision shines a very dull light on MANSH HEALTH and its care factor for those of us that suffer from mental health is zero. Our struggles with be further impacted with lack of continued support and assistance from knowledgeable staff. MONASH HEALTH are proving that they value a consumer of their service at around $200,000; as this is all the service takes out of the one hundred million dollars the state government allocates to MONASH HEALTH. Two hundred thousand dollars. The 8 employees of the directorate service are now facing an unsure future. They have not been offered another form of employment within MONASH HEALTH, and given the fact that they are brilliant at what they do and do the job of 20 people; they will be left out on the street if this decision is to go forward.

I need your help to keep this from happening! Please email your disapproval of this decision to the CEO Shelly Park at shelly.park@monashhealth.org or by calling MONASH HEALTH on 95946666 and asking to speak to her.

Please share this with everyone you know, as the aim is to create as much of a storm as we can. Strength in numbers will help them to understand that this is not for the benefit of the community and we the community DO NOT accept the decision to shut down a vital resource in the mental health sector.