headspace, Australia's national youth mental health initiative, was created in 2006 in response to the recognition that the existing health system needed to be much more accessible and effective for young people with mental and substance use disorders.
With funding of more than $54 million from the Australian Government, a carefully constructed and selected system of 30 “communities of youth services”, or integrated service hubs and networks, across the nation is being established, supported by programs for community awareness, workforce training and evidence‐based resource material.
headspace aims to improve access, and service cohesion and quality, and ultimately health and social outcomes, for young people aged 12–25 years experiencing mental illness and related substance use problems.
Within the Council of Australian Governments framework, this will require synergistic planning with, and co‐investment on behalf of, state and territory governments, as well as the support and involvement of local communities and the wider Australian society.
One should expect resistance with any great change. It shakes the very foundation of privilege (Lucretia Mott). Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up (Winston Churchill).
Many industries commonly use quality improvement (QI) techniques to improve service delivery and process performance. Yet, there has been scarce application of these proven methods to public health settings and the public health field has not developed a set of shared principles or a common definition for quality improvement. This article discusses a definition of quality improvement in public health and describes a continuum of quality improvement applications for public health departments. Quality improvement is a distinct management process and set of tools and techniques that are coordinated to ensure that departments consistently meet the health needs of their communities.
The successful transformational change effort always occurs from the top-down, while the process improvement occurs from the bottom-up. Transformational change is possible in public health departments when small incremental improvements are linked with large-scale management changes to continually improve public health performance resulting in better population outcomes.
Presents a schedule for the alignment of personal needs and priorities with organizational needs and priorities. By considering leadership, coaching, corporate citizenship, change management, efficiency, team working, customer focus, and decision making, individuals can compile an action plan for professional and organizational change, ensuring that one is not at the expense of the other. Features a number of models to encourage reflection and discussion as well as assessment instruments to aid immediate practical development.
When engaging in QI, LHDs should consider investing efforts in gaining leadership support and dedicating staff time early in the QI journey to ensure that QI efforts and initiatives are sustained. Local health departments interested in developing a QI culture should also consider pursuing accreditation, as it provides a structured framework for continuous improvement. They should also actively develop QI knowledge and skills among all staff members to minimize the negative impact of staff turnover.
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