Instructions: Option 1: Choose a setting such as a community, health service (e.g. hospital, primary health care service) or neighbourhood you know well in Australia ( Examples (not limited to) are: (1) a particular community (for example, indigenous population, women etc) (2) a health service (such as hospital, primary health care service, GP practices etc) (3) a neighbourhood that you know well (where you currently live in) [Enter Subject Code and Name here] – Assessment [Enter number here] How to proceed with Option 1: STEP 1: A discussion of how you would assess different types of needs (normative, expressed, comparative Neighbourhood you know well in Australia, felt, etc.) and how you would prioritise the findings, justifying your choices. For this purpose, you would either know of/be in the situation in reality first. Then, you would have to undertake rigorous literature review to understand different types of needs assessment and consider alternative views to justify the choices for this context. STEP 2: Any potential challenges for your needs assessment and how you would address them. This could be relating to policy, contextual issues or others. STEP 3: A SWOT analysis, where you identify the Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats of your organisation or program. STEP 4: A determination of program priorities, based upon your needs assessment In your needs assessment, you may determine multiple programs priorities – justify why you would choose the priorities you have identified. Are there any population groups that would benefit best from your program? Mention these, justify. AN EXAMPLE Let us take a GP practice in a specific growing suburb in Melbourne as a context. The waiting list seem to be increasing as many patients are approaching the GP and there are no other practices close by. It could also be that much of the population is working, and they need after hours service. If you are part of this situation (working in the practice or living in the suburb) – you would have an idea as to what type of need had risen. From that point, think about what type of needs assessment is required (via comparing few types of needs assessment from literature review), and justify your choice. Then, we are looking at potential challenges to really confirm this need, through the needs assessment. Subsequently, look at the SWOT analysis. There may be many GPs in the practice (Strength), but, the hours may not suit the working population in the suburb (weakness). The threat may be that due to non‐suitable opening hours or waiting list, the population may begin to move to another closer suburb (where there are more GPs open late) which then (threatens) the practice. And the (opportunity) is there for this GP practice to open for more hours or have shift based GPs for different hours, keeping the practice open later. This is a simple SWOT and there may be many more. In this situation, you would be looking at a program design that allows the GPs to open later hours or shifts, which cater to the mainly working population, young families in the new suburb/neighbourhood. You may prioritise working women, kids or mainly working men as population groups that would best benefit. [Enter Subject Code and Name here] – Assessment [Enter number here] Option 2 Select one of the nine national health priorities (see http://www.aihw.gov.au/national‐health‐priority‐areas/) (These national health priorities have been devised via a prior needs assessment at a policy level. If you use one of them for your assignment, you need to take one of these areas and imagine how you would prioritize it at a service level) Imagine you have been asked to conduct a needs assessment for this setting or health priority. Describe how they would go about a needs assessment: How to proceed with Option 2: see http://www.aihw.gov.au/national‐health‐priority‐areas/ These national health priorities have been devised via a prior needs assessment at a policy level. If you use one of them for your assignment, you need to take one of these areas and imagine how you would prioritise it at a service level For example: Assuming that you have chosen ‘Cancer Control’. First, it is best that you break it down into the types of cancers that seem to be prevalent, looking at the incidence of these across Australia (statistics as of 2017),(do remember that you do not go into details of the health problem as such, as this is not the task. It is simply statistics to support this task) and review what services are already being provided across Australia in all the States and Territories as well as Federal initiatives. Your literature review needs to be highly comprehensive and up‐to‐date till end of 2017.Then, based on this decide on how a needs analysis can be undertaken nationally. Do remember to justify different approaches (literature review), before arriving at your final version. Specifically, In this example: Step 1: What is the best needs analysis approach for ‘cancer control service?’ Can this be national or state level – and why (justify via literature). Step 2: What are the challenges that you will face in undertaking the needs analysis? Look at policy, inter‐disciplinary and generic levels. Step 3: SWOT Neighbourhood you know well in Australia – From literature that exists until 2017. This can include what is being done (for example, screening), weakness (do not cover all population), threats (many people resist undertaking scanning), opportunity (making screening mandatory). Step 4: Program priorities–identify priorities for a potential program based on the above that can be provided at grass root level via state/local councils. (Keep in mind that designing a program as such is not the primary objective ‐ you are only outlining it at this stage)
TO BE RE-WRITTEN FROM THE SCRATCH
Mental Health Needs Assessment
Mental health is one of Australia’s nine national health priorities, it being one of the first set of conditions in the priorities agreed by the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council between 1996 and 2012 after “collaborations among Commonwealth and State and Territory governments, non-government organizations, health experts, clinicians and consumers” (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (Beyond Blue, 2018). Achievement of mental health in Australia still poses a major challenge, with the disease burden from mental health conditions being significant, and there being much potential gain by addressing it.
Mental health conditions are experienced by about 20% of Australians every year. With 13% of annual visits to general practitioners being because of mental health issues, and there being an increase of 10% hospital admissions in the past three years over the issue, mental health should continue to be prioritized nationally (Mental Health Australia, 2018). According to the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, in Australia “the most prevalent mental illnesses are depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. Less prevalent, and often more severe illnesses, include schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder” (Garvan Institute of Mental Health, 2018)
Needs assessment
A needs assessment for mental health will aim to:
- Collect information on the state of mental health in one state.
- Analyze the collected data so as to identify mental health issues and needs.
- Establish the mental health profile for the state with a view to having a basis for needs prioritization.
- Report the needs and plan to relevant stakeholders that include the state government.
The information will be collected from existing data, expert opinion and target population. This is through literature review, experts’ questionnaires and surveys of the population. The participation and engagement of the stakeholders will be ensured through constant two-way communication about the needs assessment’s objectives, activities and benefits.
Apart from questionnaires and surveys, here will be instruments for baseline and target setting. There will also be tools to establish best practice and identify areas of improvement. It is also important to identify individuals affected and those at risk…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Neighbourhood you know well in Australia ………
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