Services - Wellways

A year of growth in Service Delivery

The organisation has focused on enhancing mental health services and supporting diverse communities, prioritising inclusion, resilience, and innovation. Through collaborative efforts, Wellways developed new programs and expanded services to address growing needs in mental health and community support.

Medicare Mental Health Centres

Wellways is in partnership with Clarity Health Care to deliver Medicare Mental Health Centres in the Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Gladstone, and Bundaberg. We offer these communities unique access to lived experience peer workers who can provide specialised, compassionate, and understanding support, together with psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and nurses, for holistic care. In addition to these Queensland-based services, we are partnering with other providers, led by Stride, to deliver the new Medicare Mental Health Centre in Western New South Wales

NewAccess

In the same region, we have joined the Better Access Consortia led by EACH to deliver suicide prevention and NewAccess (low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy coaching) services to the community.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Local

In Victoria, the six Wellways-led, fully operational Mental Health and Wellbeing Local Services are delivered in partnership, providing a front door to free mental health and wellbeing support for people who are experiencing mental health and alcohol and other drug use concerns.

Opening day at Benalla Mental Health and Wellbeing Local.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect

We have also opened new Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centres in partnership with Satellite, offering services to families, carers and supporters of people living with mental health challenges. These innovative services are located in Gippsland (Traralgon and Bairnsdale) and Barwon Southwest (Warrnambool and Geelong) and provide free services in step with the Locals Services. These services are easy to access, located in the community, and a direct outcome of the mental health reform in Victoria.

The foyer of the Traralgon Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect Centre.

Jake, a peer cadet trainee stands in front of a blue and orange pull up banner for a photo.

Jake, a trainee Lived Experience Peer Cadet at the Traralgon Connect Centre.

Consumer Directed Services

Simultaneously, the disability sector is also entering a period of reform. While Wellways is actively advocating that people requiring psychosocial disability support are fully recognised in the development of new foundational and future targeted supports outside of the NDIS. We face the challenge of increasing efficiency while upholding high service quality. To meet this, we’ve consolidated our Consumer Directed Services into a national team, enabling better collaboration, streamlined processes, and the sharing of best practices.

Suicide Prevention Community Action Planning

In 2024, Wellways commenced the delivery of new suicide prevention services such as Suicide Prevention Community Action Planning in Northern Queensland.

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Continue Exploring

Continue exploring more of the highlights from across the business in the 2023-24 Annual Review.

Overview

Over the past year, Wellways has embraced opportunities, formed new partnerships, and worked to become an even better service provider, more desirable employer, and louder advocate.

Lived Experience

2024 marks the year lived experience was elevated to Board level at Wellways. Find out more about the sector-first Lived and Living Experience Authority from our two Co-Chairs.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation is everyone's business at Wellways. We are proud to share that our Reconciliation Action Innovate Plan has been approved, and our Stretch RAP has been submitted.

People and Culture

Valuable feedback from Wellways employees highlights strong engagement and a deep connection to their work. Over the past twelve months, we have also completed some important training and become more inclusive.

Mental Health Reform

Wellways expanded its reach in mental health support across multiple states, achieving new milestones in service delivery and workforce development aligned with national and state mental health reform.

Carer Gateway

Wellways has extended its Carer Services and explored new ways to connect with carers, while expanding and deepening our partnerships with other providers.

Finance

With new CFO David Gerrard at the helm of the finance team for his first full year, the budgeting process has been further improved across the organisation, and the financial auditing report has been made more transparent and accessible.