Enabling support for people experiencing mental ill health is at the heart of our operations. Indeed, mental health is the largest source of expenditure in our budget. 

NWMPHN commissions services to meet local mental health needs, coordinates and implements government-funded programs, and builds the capacity and capability of primary care providers to deliver high-quality mental health support in the community. 

There are now a range of state and federal programs, alongside new community-based mental health services, helping more people access the right care, at the right time and in the right place. NWMPHN's role is to support this long-term reform by strengthening prevention and early intervention, improving coordination between services, and helping providers respond to growing community need. 

The challenge now is to understand how these new and existing services work together as part of a connected system of care. By improving integration, navigation and collaboration across the mental health sector, we can strengthen primary mental health care and continue to deliver better outcomes for consumers, carers, providers and communities across our region. 

This year, NWMPHN held sector conversations alongside Mental Health Victoria, in which representatives from 27 mental health service provision organisations gathered. The events provided an opportunity to share thoughts on strengthening the system and discuss how services are organised, accessed and delivered, in order to respond to and improve access for NWMPHN population. 

“The mental health system is changing with the introduction of new services and the consolidation of existing services,” said Jag Dhaliwal, NWMPHN’s Executive Director, Service Development and Reform.

“Ultimately it has to work well for the people receiving services and the people providing them. NWMPHN’s role here is to help build the links to make sure this happens.” 

Establishing a new headspace centre in Moonee Valley

headspace is a key component of the Australian Government’s investment in youth mental health, designed to provide early intervention services and support for people aged 12 to 25 and their families. It has a focus on early intervention. The national headspace program is funded by the Commonwealth and commissioned locally through PHNs. 

In 2025-26 NWMPHN commissioned a new headspace centre in Moonee Valley, to be operated by Orygen.

The centre is one of seven in NWMPHN region offering free wraparound support to young people living across Melbourne’s northwest, including mental health, physical and sexual health, alcohol and other drug services, and work and study support. 

By the end of the financial year the project was well into its establishment phase. Doors are expected to open by early 2027. 

A multidisciplinary team-based model in general practice in Brimbank

In an extension of other multidisciplinary care projects commissioned by NWMPHN, mental health is a dedicated focus of the Brimbank Health Care Neighbourhood Project.

The project will see several general practices linked up with a care coordinator, social worker and mental health clinician on site one day per week. The neighbourhood care team will support GPs and practice staff to assess, coordinate and manage complex chronic and mental health care. 

Planning was completed in 2025-26, with the tender process beginning at the start of 2026-27.

Establishment of a new Medicare Mental Health Centre in Broadmeadows

The Australian Government has identified Broadmeadows as the location for a new Medicare Mental Health Centre, which will be the first in the NWMPHN region.

The centre will provide free mental health care and support for adults experiencing psychological distress, mental health crisis or moderate to severe mental health needs, including people with co-occurring alcohol and other drug challenges. 

In addition to providing assessment and short to medium term care, the centre will function as a highly visible and accessible entry point to the mental health system, supporting consumers, families and carers through service navigation, care coordination and warm referral pathways. 

It is expected to play an important role in connecting people to the right services and supports that best meet their needs, reducing fragmentation across the broader mental health and wellbeing system. access support and connect with care that best meets their needs. 

Planning was completed during 2025-26, with the tendering process beginning in August 2026.

Strengthening our CAREinMIND™ stepped care program

Mental ill health affects nearly half the adult population and places significant demand on the health care system. The Australian Government guides primary health networks to implement a stepped care approach within primary mental health care, helping ensure people receive the right level of support based on their needs and circumstances, particularly those at risk of missing out on care. 

At NWMPHN, CAREinMIND is our primary mental health stepped care program. It provides a range of evidence-based psychological therapies and supports to people experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges.

During 2025-26 NWMPHN undertook a comprehensive review of CAREinMIND, informed by service and consumer experience data, evaluation findings, community engagement, lived experience insights, provider feedback and changes occurring across the Victorian and national mental health system.

The review confirmed the value of CAREinMIND in helping people access psychological support and care, while identifying opportunities to strengthen navigation, care coordination and responsiveness to changing community needs and expectations. 

It also highlighted the importance of ensuring the model remains aligned with broader system reforms and continues to support people to access the right care, at the right time, in the right place. Through research, focus groups, interviews and sector meetings the result is a refreshed and reinvigorated service model that is planned to be rolled out during 2026-27.