‘Local help early’ the essence of mental health reforms: Andrews

Premier Daniel Andrews says the essence of mental health reforms is to provide local help early to prevent hospitalisations later on - following a Royal Commission into Victoria’s "broken" mental health system. The Royal Commission released its final report on Tuesday morning calling for a radical overhaul of the system which it found had catastrophically failed. The Royal Commission was called in 2018, with 65 recommendations made two years on. “No matter how long you’re in government there are only a handful of days where you get to do something which is truly profound - something that will change lives and save lives,” Mr Andrews said. “We’ve got to make sure that we provide care much earlier and much closer to home. “It’s all about keeping people well, it’s all about saving lives, it’s all about investment. “It won’t be easy, it won’t be quick, it’s a long journey, but important work is never easy. “That’s why we’re committed to implementing every one of these recommendations.”