Recommendation 49

What the Royal Commission said

The Royal Commission called for a new performance monitoring and accountability framework to:

• help mental health and wellbeing service providers to improve their performance
• enhance outcomes and experiences of consumers, families, carers and supporters; and
• measure service performance from the perspective of consumers, families, carers and supporters.

Performance monitoring ensures services are delivering better experiences and outcomes for consumers, families, carers and supporters. It also provides clarity between the Department of Health and service providers about service delivery expectations and improvement.

What we’ve achieved

A new Outcomes and Performance Framework

• In December 2024, we released the Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes and Performance Framework. This Framework introduces a new way to measure outcomes and performance across Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing system. An accompanying implementation plan is guiding the first phase of delivery. This plan supports departmental staff, partners, and oversight bodies to start using the Framework consistently.

The Framework delivers:

• A shared vision for a connected mental health and wellbeing system that supports all Victorians
• Four system-wide domains that set clear goals for improvement
• Clear, meaningful, statewide outcomes that describe what better mental health and wellbeing looks like
• Strong indicators and measures to track progress and long-term improvement across the system.

The Framework combines Recommendation 49, with Recommendation 1.

What we’re doing

• Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing system is increasingly using outcomes to improve services. While services and regulators currently use outcomes in different ways, work is underway to create a more consistent, outcomes‑focused approach across the whole system.
• A strong foundation is now in place. These early steps are already changing how success is measured. Instead of focusing mainly on how many services are delivered or how busy the system is, the focus is shifting to real improvements in people’s mental health and wellbeing. Stakeholders were invited to help shape this through an Expressions of Interest process and work is underway.
• To find out more about this work, or if you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to mhwd.outcomes@health.vic.gov.au
• Looking ahead, the focus is on strengthening data and governance. This will improve data quality, support clearer reporting, and help the system learn and improve over time. Together, these changes will increase transparency and accountability, fully deliver Recommendation 49, and support better mental health and wellbeing outcomes for Victorians.