Submission by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation - National Mental Health Commission on the National Guidelines for including

Through our work with members we aim to strengthen the contribution of nursing and midwifery to improving Australia’s health and aged care systems, and the health of our national and global communities. [...] The ANMF welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Draft of the National Guidelines for including mental health and wellbeing in early childhood health checks (the National Guidelines). [...] As requested, our feedback has focused on the language used throughout the draft; whether the structure and narrative of the draft is logical and clear; and any gaps in the content. [...] The ANMF notes that the Commission “acknowledges that the ability of service providers and health professionals to apply the National Guidelines depends on the health system in which they operate and the available resources” (p.4). [...] Additionally, the ANMF, whilst supporting the Conceptual model for including mental health and wellbeing in ECHCs (p.11) as a solid starting point, recommend an additional ring be added to recognise the influence of the health system context on the inner rings of the model and the government accountability required for it to be upheld.