The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) is a peak body representing mental health nurses across government and local health service settings. In 2024, the college was invited to make a submission in response to the federal government's first National Nursing Workforce Strategy. The draft strategy set out the government's priorities to guide the country's nursing workforce, including mental health nurses. In what was already a busy time, the college had only a short amount of time to prepare its response, but the opportunity was too valuable to pass up. The college has seen a significant increase in incidence of mental health conditions across Australia, primarily caused by delays accessing essential support services. These delays can be attributed to COVID-19 lockdowns and economic drivers such as the rising cost of living and housing shortages. In addition, certain population groups are disproportionately affected by this rise of mental health conditions. The ACMHN engaged Bridgeway Global to develop a submission that would influence the federal government to prioritise the supports needed by Australia's mental health nursing workforce, to bolster their delivery of mental health care to all Australian communities.
Bridgeway designed a custom survey for mental health nurses, as practitioners on the ground, so we could get their valuable feedback about the government's draft National Nursing Workforce Strategy. We interviewed key ACMHN stakeholders, including Board members, to ensure the submission reflected the organisation's strategy, policies and positions. All feedback gathered was synthesised into insights that shaped the submission's development.
Bridgeway developed ACMHN's submission to meet the government's tight consultation timeframe. The submission positioned mental health nurses as critical to meet the needs of Australia's population and included specific recommendations to strengthen the draft strategy. By providing a valuable 'extra pair of hands', Bridgeway Global enabled the ACMHN to fulfil its advocacy goal, without diverting board members or staff from other essential work.
