Submitted to the Australian Government Productivity Commission, Mental Health Inquiry (April 2019)

Our submission is in response to the Social and Economic Benefits of Improving Mental Health Issues Paper. We also submitted a response to the Productivity Commission's Draft Mental Health Report.

Access to healthy food and nutrition care are significant factors in the management of mental health and physical health for people with mental health disorders.

People with mental health disorders need to be able to access nutritious food as a prerequisite to health. Providing person centric care is critical in addressing mental health in Australia.

Our submission discusses and gives recommendations on:

• Structural weakness in healthcare
• The link between physical and mental health
• Benefits of nutrition on mental health
• Benefits of nutrition interventions
• Nutrition interventions – safe and good value
• Limitations of medication
• Health workforce and informal carers
• Housing, income support and social services
• Coordination and integration
• Funding arrangements

For more, download our full submission.