Lived Experience Service Supports

The Townsville HHS is committed to ensuring the best possible care for our consumers, their carers and their families. We have several engagement and advisory teams to help drive our care, shape our services and educate our staff and consumers.

Consumer, Carer and Family Participation Team

Embedded workforce
Consumer and Carer Consultants
Consumer and Carer Consultants advocate broadly for the rights of mental health service consumers and carers, aiming to ensure that consumers are cared for in a manner that respects their dignity, worth and rights. Consumer and Carer Consultants represent the interests of consumers, carers and families as a whole by advocating for service enhancement in collaboration with consumer participation. This includes identification of areas for improvement, service gaps and implementation of appropriate responses at both policy and service-delivery levels. The role serves as a resource for the Mental Health Service Group and the HHS more broadly in identifying and eliminating barriers to consumers and carers being able to work in partnership with mental health service providers to focus on recovery.

Recovery Support Workers
Recovery Support Workers are employed by the HHS and have a developed understanding of mental health services from their own personal recovery journeys and knowledge of mental illness. Due to their own personal lived experience, Recovery Support Workers provide a unique perspective of service delivery from a consumer or carer’s point of view, providing opportunities for service enhancement in collaboration with consumer participation. Our recovery support workers are embedded throughout the organisation to provide advice to staff on policy and service delivery.

Peer Workers
Peer Workers are casual employees of the HHS. The Peer Worker Program is based on the concept of shared experience, learning from one another and peer support. Peer Workers are people who have a lived experience of mental illness and provide interaction and support for consumers who are inpatients of the Adult Acute Mental Health Inpatient Unit, the Secure Mental Health Rehabilitation Unit, Townsville Community Care Unit and the Adolescent Inpatient Unit and Day Service.

HHS consumer groups
Lived Experience Program
Consumer and Carer Representatives are members of the community who represent the voices of consumers and/or carers on mental health issues. Representatives can register their interest and will be contacted as appropriate opportunities arise. Representatives may be asked to contribute in the following:

• HHS meetings
• Focus/discussion groups
• Feedback on consumer information such as brochures and flyers
• Offer personal perspective on staff training and education through consultation or participation
• Assist with staff recruitment
• Participation in the Lived Experience Reference Group
  • The mental health Lived Experience Reference Group meets monthly to provide consumer and carer opinions, knowledge and feedback on a range of topics raised by the HHSs mental health service group. The aim of the group is to provide a partnership between the HHS, and the community that we service to continue to meet community expectations and provide a welcoming service.

If you are interested in joining the Lived Experience Program, complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) and send to:

Townsville HHS Mental Health Service Group
Consumer and Carer Consultant
59 Cambridge Street
Vincent, QLD, 4814

We will keep your EOI on file and contact you if we have any opportunities available.

Representatives are remunerated for their involvement in participation activities.

Lived Experience Reference Group (LERG)
The mental health Lived Experience Reference Group meets monthly to provide consumer and carer opinions, knowledge and feedback on a range of topics raised by the HHSs mental health service group. The aim of the group is to provide a partnership between the HHS, and the community that we service to continue to meet community expectations and provide a welcoming service.

Contact Details

Consumer/Carer Consultant
Location:
59 Cambridge Street
Vincent

24/7 Crisis assistance and support
Mental Health Intake and Referral:
Ph: 1300MH CALL (1300 64 2255)

24/7 Alcohol and Drug Information Service:
Ph: 1800 177 833

In a life-threatening emergency:
Telephone triple zero (000) or 112 from mobiles

Related Links

Queensland Health - Mental Health home page
Mental Health Act 2016
Caring for somebody with a mental illness
Find a mental health service