Evaluation of N.L.'s mental health plan highlights successes and work that remains

The provincial government released its final report Tuesday on Newfoundland and Labrador'sfive-yearmental health action plan,Towards Recovery,outlining both what the province considers its successes and areas that still need improvement.

While Health Minister Tom Osborne acknowledges that work remains, specifically with regard to long-term mental health care, he suggested the province has made strides.

"If you compare where we as a province were five years ago to where we are today, we have accomplished so much," said Osborne.

"I'm looking forward to what we will have accomplished fiveyears from now."

Towards Recovery, released in June 2017, included54 recommendations on improving mental health care in the province.

Only afinal evaluation report wasmissingsomething that both opposition and a mental health advocate publicly calledfor onFriday.

"Unfortunately,sometimes things get delayed," said Osborne."I would have liked to have seen it released sooner, but the work had to be done on it internally before it was released. But I can assure you that this is a priority of our government."

Eight key successes are listed including two newmental health facilities in St. John's and Happy Valley-Goose Bayalongside six areas where further work is needed.

All 54 recommendations are listed in the report's appendix, with check marks indicating their completion. The Health Department said measures were substantially completed as of last March.

One of those recommendations wasincreasingmental health-care spending from 5.7per cent of the total annual health-care budgetto nineper cent by April 2022.While Osborne did notgive a definitive answer on whether that target was met, he said agreements with the federal government to increase funding will soon be announced.

"If not there, we're getting very close to that commitment, based on the increase in this year's budget as well as the funding that will be coming," said Osborne.

For PC MHAPaul Dinn, it's one of several crucial details missing in the report.

"My first perusal of itis [that]not everything is complete. In fact, some of the items, I would say, are not even substantially complete," said Dinn, the opposition's health critic.

"If you've got the report there and you're saying you've succeeded in hitting that goal, then break it out and tell us how that goal was hit. Andthat's what's missing here, the more evidence-based information that tells us what was done and what wasn't."

Dinn also questioned the evaluation of a steep increase in the use of virtual mental health services, which the reportlists as a key success.

According to the report, resources such as Bridge the Gapp, BreathingRoom and Therapy Assistance Online have all seen significant uptake since the release of Towards Recovery. Monthly calls to the Provincial Lifewise Warmlineare listed as havingincreased by over 250 per cent,from 450 in 2016-17to 1,650 in 2021-22.

"Is that good or bad?" Dinn asked.

"Also, look atthe clientele we're dealing with.How many of them have access to dependable Internet? There's sections in this province that don't have access to that. So, what kind of service are they getting?"

While he acknowledges the progress in offering more options for short-term mental health care, Dinn said two areas immediately stand out to himas needing improvement: access tolong-term mental health care,and the retention and recruitment of mental health-care workers.

On the latter, he said, government has failed.

"Throughout this report,you talk about the beds up in Labrador and you talk about new [a] mental health facility. Those are not going to work unless you have staffing there.Qualified health-care professionals,"Dinn said.

"Government has not acted on it. And they've been in power eight years. Human resource issues like this were here eight years ago. And I hazard to say we're any further ahead."

Osborne agreedboth areas need to be a priority, including issues affecting Labrador, suchas housing and food insecurity.

He also suggested the provincial government should focus on factors that hurt people's quality of life,including theincreased cost of living since Towards Recovery's release in 2017.

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