Recommendation 64

What the Royal Commission said

The Royal Commission recommends that the Victorian Government:

1. commission an existing entity to provide dedicated support and resources for innovation in mental health treatment, care and support.
2. fund this entity to:
   a. administer a dedicated mental health innovation fund for projects selected by an expert panel;
   b. establish and promote collaborative networks to drive and facilitate innovation in mental health treatment, care and support; and
   c. provide practical support to services to implement and test new approaches to mental health treatment, care and support.

This recommendation is linked to Recommendations 63 and 65.

Together they are building an evidence base about what works, and facilitating a culture of innovation to develop, test and pilot new treatment options and models of care.

Dedicated funding to foster innovation is a deliberate step towards cultivating a culture to try new ideas.

What are we doing?

We have established the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing to drive innovation in mental health treatment, care and support.

The Collaborative Centre is governed by an independent board that includes consumer and carer representation. The centre brings together lived experience leadership, innovative service delivery and cutting-edge mental health research to drive mental health system transformation.

The centre has two lead partners, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne, supported by a network of 18 other mental health and research collaborators.

Read more about the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing.