Interim Recommendation 07

What the Royal Commission said

The Royal Commission recommended a range of reforms to address serious workforce shortages and prepare for reform.

It recommended new education, training and recruitment strategies to attract, train and build a workforce to support Victoria's mental health and wellbeing system.

The recommendation called for:

• 60 new funded graduate placements for allied health and other professionals
• 120 extra funded graduate positions for nurses
• 140 fully funded postgraduate mental health nurse scholarships annually
• an agreed proportion of junior medical officers to undertake a psychiatry rotation, with it being mandatory for all junior medical officers by 2023 or earlier
• a representative and collaborative mental health leadership network
• improved workforce data collection and use
• improved international recruitment processes including overseas campaigns, resources to support services and partnerships between organisations.

The reform offers an opportunity to overcome challenges faced by the mental health workforce in Victoria. Some of the challenges include:

• many resources being overstretched
• workforce shortages
• the lack of pathways into employment
• workforce stigma
• a lack of specialist skill development
• attracting people back to public mental health
• difficulty retaining employees in the workforce.

What we've achieved

Workforce growth:

• Since 2021, there has been 33 per cent growth in full-time equivalent (FTE) roles in public mental health and wellbeing services and 125 per cent increase in the Lived and Living Experience (LLE) workforce. This includes:
  • 575 junior medical officer rotations each year across 22 health services since 2022
  • More than 100 new credited psychiatry registrar positions
  • More than 2,500 new early career and graduate roles supported by discipline specific educators, also creating development opportunities for experienced clinicians roles
  • Implemented mid-career Transition to Mental Health program to develop alternate progression pathways for registered nurses, occupational therapists and social workers
  • Encouraged workforce relocation into Victoria's regional and rural locations through the Regional and Rural Incentive Program.

Attracting professionals to the mental health workforce

• An international recruitment program operated from June 2022 until January 2024 to promote and build our workforce. The campaign targeted experienced clinical staff in key international jurisdictions.
• A domestic media campaign titled ‘Jobs that Matter' was also launched in September 2023 to raise awareness of opportunities to join the Victorian mental health and wellbeing workforce.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Scholarship Program

• The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Scholarship Program supports continued learning and development pathways to help build workforce skills, knowledge and capabilities.
• Since 2021 more than 1,200 scholarships have been awarded. The scholarships available include:
  • Full Course Fee Postgraduate Mental Health Nurse Scholarship Program covering the full cost of course fees for mental health nurses completing a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing or a Master in Mental Health Nursing.
  • $3,000 Postgraduate Mental Health Nurse Scholarship Program for mental health nurses completing tertiary qualifications that advance their knowledge, skills and capacity to provide effective mental health care.
  • Psychiatric State Enrolled Nursing (PSEN) grants for public mental health and wellbeing services as a contribution towards the cost of backfill arrangements for PSENs undertaking clinical placements whilst completing their Bachelor of Nursing course.
  • Postgraduate scholarships of up to $13,000 for allied health professionals and AOD practitioners the postgraduate scholarship program aims to build expertise in allied health and Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) workforces. This scholarship has been awarded annually since 2022 providing up to 50 allied health and 20 AOD postgraduate scholarships.
  • Lived and Living Experience Workforce (LLEW) University Scholarships of up to $13,000 for lived and living experience workers to build their capability, in addition to their existing skills and lived or living experience expertise, to confidently take on diverse leadership roles across the system. Scholarships contribute toward recipients' course fees and course related fees for tertiary studies, including bachelor's degrees and post-graduate qualifications.

What we're doing

Junior medical officers

• To improve mental health capability in the system, we are supporting more junior doctors to complete a psychiatry rotation to gain mental health skills and consider specialising in psychiatry.
• In line with the Australian Medical Council's National Framework for Prevocational Medical Training, psychiatry rotations will remain encouraged but not mandated.

Mental health nursing

• We are working closely with the sector to grow the mental health nursing workforce.

Allied Health Mental Health Graduate Program

• The Allied Health Mental Health Graduate Program was established to offer more allied health early career staff the opportunity to access tailored education and experience to become independent mental health clinicians.
• Occupational therapy, social work and psychology were the first disciplines included in this program. We have worked with Eastern Health to design an Allied Health Mental Health Graduate Program with learning resources for graduates and educators, and the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing is continuing to deliver learning opportunities and program delivery support.

Developing mental health leadership

• We are in the early stages of planning to develop a collaborative mental health leadership network that will form part of the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Understanding our workforce and planning for the future

• In 2021, we launched a workforce census which is conducted annually. The annual census provides the current mental health workforce profile in all Victorian specialist public mental health services.
• The census is a first step to improve our data collection capability. It provides valuable data about workers across all locations, disciplines, settings and sub-specialties. It also details the lived experience workforces employed by specialist mental health services.
• The data will contribute to the development of a sustainable workforce that is diverse, skilled and large enough to deliver effective treatment, care and support to Victorians with mental illness or psychological distress.

Clinical Supervision and Mentoring Programs

• The Allied Health Clinical Supervision Program, the Clinical Supervision Program for Mental Health Nursing Educators, and the Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA) Mental Health Mentoring Program strengthened supervision, leadership capability and workforce wellbeing.
• Between 2023 and 2024, more than 100 allied health clinical educators and senior staff and at least 100 mental health nurse educators completed structured, curriculum-based supervision training with embedded practice, while the VHA Mentoring Program strengthened leadership and mentoring capability for around 250 participants across 40 organisations between 2023 and 2025.
• Together, these initiatives have expanded access to skilled supervisors and mentors, supporting workforce readiness, retention and consistent, high‑quality care across the public mental health system.

Read more about the mental health workforce.