Regional planning for Primary Health Networks

To undertake their mandated role in the planning and integration of mental health services, PHNs will require: (1) access to source data on which to base regional needs assessment and gap analysis, and; (2) adequate and appropriate materials and capacity to undertake the technical aspects of the work. This report, commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health, presents an overview of the sources of data and measures that could be used by PHNs for regional planning and gap analysis, and considers their strengths and limitations for this purpose. The report also considers the technical support and capacity that may be needed by PHNs to undertake regional planning and lessons learned from attempts at regional mental health service planning in other places.