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Figure E. Suggested protocol for mental health services [1]

Level 5
Acute and
specialist services
Level 4
Standardised
High-intensity intervention
biopsychosocial
assessment
(completed by any Level 3
mental health Medium-intensity intervention
professional in any
formal care setting)
Level 2
Low-intensity intervention
Level 1
Self-management and prevention

Note: [1] Australia’s mental health system is referenced.

Policy direction 5:
Hong Kong should refine the policymaking process
through conducting regular monitoring, evaluation,
and review efforts to update its mental health
policies and plans

Underlying all mental health reform is the need for strong mental health
policymaking and developing a cohesive set of initiatives that implement previously
developed policy. Hong Kong has a mental health policy that presents a visionary
multidisciplinary and integrated approach to mental health development, and with it,
a series of plans and individual programmes. Despite the abundance of plans and
programmes, the mental health system often does not act in an integrated manner
that offers well-coordinated services to meet the varying and burgeoning needs of
the public. To rectify this implementation issue, the Government should engage in a
monitoring, evaluation, and review (M&E) effort to update the policy and attendant
plans.

In addition to understanding the mental health system through the lens of service
provision, which the Government has actively tracked, it is also critical to review
how the service is performing in meeting population health goals. As such, the
Government should consider appointing a functional mental health unit, which
can be assumed by the ACMH, that is responsible for coordinating mental health
policies, plans, and programmes. The Government should consider how to take this
forward, including determining an appropriate scope of work and ensuring proper
role delineation between the unit and other bureaux and departments. Overall, the
Government should dictate a centralised list of key performance indicators (KPIs,
also termed “core indicators” by the WHO) that will be used for routine assessment

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