Mr Quinlan said residents of areas such as Orange and the Central West can now look forward to some positive changes to stop people falling through cracks, after the Australian Government released its Review of Mental Health Programmes and Services yesterday.

“This means reform starts today,” he said.

“This new policy could be a potential for real change.”

Mr Quinlan said to-date the government had been playing  catch-up in order to meet current community expectations about adequate support for people struggling with mental health issues and their families.

Among the new initiatives he has welcomed is the emphasis on the participation of patients and their carers in the rollout of services,  and an investment in the Primary Health Networks (formerly Medicare Local) to assist them in identifying the right mix of grassroots services for people with mental illness.

On Thursday Western NSW Primary Health Network  chief executive officer Andrew Harvey said the new model was a major step forward for Western NSW people to be able to lead more contributing lives within thriving communities.

“We applaud the government’s agreement on the need to shift the focus from crisis responses and ‘sick-care’ to better preventing illness, keeping people well, supporting recovery and providing stable housing and participation in employment, education and training,” he said.

Following a review of the number of residents in the Bloomfield Mental Health Service in July last year, the Western  NSW Local Health District announced it would transition several residents from full-time residential care into the community, after the review found Bloomfield had the highest number of acute and non-acute in-patients of any regional mental health facility in the state.

It was said at the time to be the biggest overhaul in the delivery of mental health services in three decades.

At the time, the LHD said it was committed to bolstering community teams and ensuring more assertive and responsive community models of care were available for clients in crisis to help keep them well and out of hospital where practical.

Bloomfield Director of integrated mental health drug and alcohol services Jason Crisp was contacted for comment.

janice.harris@fairfaxmedia.com.au