Exploring the Issues Facing the Australian Community Mental Health Workforce: a National Mixed-Methods Study

The Commonwealth Psychosocial Support Program, funded by the Australian Government, offers psychosocial support to individuals with severe mental illness. Currently, little research has addressed the challenges confronting its workforce. This study aimed to assess whether recruitment, retention, and staff skills pose significant issues for the Commonwealth Psychosocial Support Program and to identify contributing factors. This study used a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design. 159 mental health support staff across Australia participated in an online survey. From this sample, 16 participated in a semi-structured interview. Survey data was analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests, while qualitative data was examined through deductive content analysis. 84%, 77% and 56% of staff agreed that recruitment, retention and the skill of staff are significant issues affecting the delivery of the Commonwealth Psychosocial Support Program, respectively. While no significant differences were found in staff characteristics for recruitment and retention concerns, geographical location showed notable disparities in perceptions of staff skill (χ²(4, N = 153) = 11.318, p = 0.023). Specifically, a higher proportion of rural or remote (68%) and regional (63%) staff identified staff skill as an issue compared to metropolitan counterparts (39%). Key factors contributing to poor recruitment included short-term contracts (77%), while burnout (74%) and job insecurity (72%) were indicated for poor retention. Inadequate skill was attributed to infrequent professional development (53%), insufficient on-the-job training (53%), limited mentoring and supervision (50%), and unclear role expectations (50%). Addressing these multifaceted issues is imperative for enhancing the effectiveness of community-based mental health services and ensuring sustained support for individuals with severe mental illness across diverse geographical locations.