Developing a national needs-based planning model for suicide prevention services (LIFEWAYS)
As part of the Department of Health and Aged Care funded LIFEWAYS consortium on suicide prevention research translation led by The University of Melbourne, the QCMHR Mental Health Services Research Stream is working to develop a national suicide prevention needs-based service planning model. The model will be of a similar structure and designed to complement, and potentially integrate into, the National Mental Health Service Planning Framework (NMHSPF).
The new suicide prevention service planning model will quantify the number of people in the Australian population with a need for suicide prevention services at different levels, develop a taxonomy of the interventions/services required by these need groups, and model the appropriate workforce/team required to deliver care. The model will therefore produce estimates of the resourcing required to deliver suicide prevention services to meet population needs across Australia. The developed modelling tool and accompanying technical documentation will be shared with national, state/territory and regional health planners to support planning of suicide prevention services across Australia. This initial model development will provide a starting point that may be further enhanced for specific regions or populations in future projects.
The project team is currently working with a national expert advisory group and other relevant stakeholders to help inform model development.
The project will be completed in 2025.
