What it takes to get in a party election platform

In my first piece I talked about election policy platforms for parties. While the platforms and priorities will largely be set prior to an election being announced, there are times when initiatives from an organisation will get included during an election campaign. This requires the groundwork having been done, existing relationships and engagement, absolute confidence in what you are proposing, and being prepared to promote and back your ideas.

In 2016 I was working at the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) and we were successful in getting a key ask in the Coalitions mental health care policy platform. This happened during the election, but we knew the election was coming and had done significant work leading up to this point before an election was called.

Prior to the 2016 Federal Election there had been changes to funding arraignments for mental health which had a significant impact on the mental health nurse workforce. The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP) was established in 2007 and designed to provide clients with severe mental illness access to mental health nursing care, through primary care, GPs, psychiatrists and Aboriginal Medical Centres. The program had significantly positive outcomes, attributable to the fact the program required mental health nurses to be credentialed, and therefore the workforce had extensive experience.

In 2016 the MHNIP funding moved from the then Department of Health to the Primary Health Networks (PHNs). Initially the PHN’s needed to ensure there was continuity of care for clients, and from 2017-18 the PHNs would have flexibility to decide on how mental health nursing services were provided in their regions.

These reforms posed a significant challenge to providing ongoing community care for people experiencing severe and complex mental health conditions. Notably ensuring ongoing recognition of the level of care provided by Credentialed Mental Health Nurses particularly in primary health care, and retaining and growing the mental health nurse workforce across primary care. In many areas across Australia, particularly regional, rural and remote where the mental health workforce was scarce, mental health nurses were the largest mental health workforce. Retaining this workforce was going to be central to the success of any mental health reforms in primary care.

The 2016 Federal Election would be absolutely key in raising the profile of the impact of the reforms and the need to support the mental health nurse workforce. We knew we had to do the work before, particularly to work with and have the support of the PHNs.

In the lead up to the election we undertook a number of key actions:

·      Met with literally every PHN in the country and attended any meetings that brought together PHNs in the states and territories.

·      Worked to and received the support of the PHNs, working collaboratively with them to provide a model that would support them.

·      Developed a document through funding from the then Department of Health to provide guidance to the PHN’s to support their engagement with Credentialed Mental Health Nurses and mental health nurses and MHNP.

·      Collated the data showing the importance of the mental health nurse workforce.

·      Organised an election campaign that involved the ACMHN members and mental health nurse workforce across the country.

·      Met and fostered strong engagement with relevant Ministers, Shadow Ministers, party spokespeople and all parties to promote the need to support the mental health nurse workforce.

The ACMHN had an incredibly hard working, articulate and charismatic CEO Kim Ryan, who was absolutely central to the success of the campaign. That needs to be acknowledged.

By the time the 2016 Federal Election was called we were absolutely clear and confident in what we were asking for; the major parties knew what our major ask was and that it would be supported by the sector; and we were engaging an ‘army’ of mental health nurses in the community to promote the ask.

Crucially our platform had other asks which were important to speak to the sector and be true to who the ACMHN were. The campaign included mental health support for asylum seekers. This may not have been popular with the major parties, but this was important to the mental health nurse workforce, other health stakeholders and spoke to the integrity of the ACMHN. Being authentic in campaigns and any sort of advocacy is important. Being true to who you are and courageous, is central in maintaining integrity, trust and being recognised as the voice for those you say you represent.

This is what was listed in the Coalition’s 2016 Federal Election mental health policy:

Promoting a sustainable and flexible Mental Health Nursing workforce

An important strategy in improving the mental health and wellbeing of all Australians will be developing and sustaining a nursing workforce that is responsive to the mental health needs of the community – across all clinical settings, all cultural groups, and across the spectrum of illness over a person’s lifespan.

The Coalition will provide $1.5 million to the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses to look at a new workforce model.

The College would coordinate with Primary Health Networks co-commissioning trials

between PHNs and local area health services which would allow mental health nurses to move between the primary and acute care sectors. It would see the PHNs and local area health services both contribute to funding nurses who would work across both sectors.

Three short paragraphs might not seem like much, but to get a central policy and funding in a party election policy platform is significant, and it involves much hard work to get there. Even for larger organisations that might seem like they have greater access than some, that still involves work behind the scenes to have that relationship and access. It is about undertaking political engagement in a way that is respectful, has integrity, is based on evidence and is solution focused.