In response to The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System recommendations, Northern Health became a designated mental health service on 1 July 2022. Northern Health is the third largest mental health service in Victoria, providing services to adults and older adults aged 26+ who have a diagnosed mental health condition
Our Locations
Our Team
The Mental Health Division comprises just over 1100 staff from a range of professional backgrounds including psychiatry, nursing, occupational therapy, clinical psychology, lived experience and social work.
Multidisciplinary teams work in acute and rehabilitation inpatient services, community mental health services and residential services, including Prevention and Recovery Care Services (PARCs), community care units (CCUs) and our two residential facilities.
The division is supported by staff in number of roles including (but not limited to) education, administration, health information, quality improvement and service development and redesign.
The team is led by the Executive Director, Mental Health and the Director of Clinical Services, Mental Health:
Ms Belinda Scott, Executive Director Mental Health
Belinda Scott is the Executive Director Mental Health. Belinda brings key industry experience covering business and strategic planning and implementation, quality and risk management, engagement and partnership development, financial management, capability building, metropolitan and rural health care. Belinda’s previous experience includes Chief Executive Officer at Djerriwarrh Health Service and at Northern Health as the General Manager, Broadmeadows Hospital.
As the Executive Director Mental Health, Belinda has worked hard to ensure the transition to Northern Health was as minimally disruptive as possible for consumers, their families and staff.
Belinda has been working collaboratively with a number of key stakeholders to improve mental health services delivered at Northern Health, ensuring patients receive high quality, consistent mental health care and treatment.
Associate Professor Dr Vinay Lakra, Divisional Director Clinical Services – Mental Health
Associate Professor Lakra is the Divisional Director, Clinical Services for the Mental Health Division and the appointed Authorised Psychiatrist (under s 328 of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act) for Northern Health. He is a member of the Victorian Board of the Medical Board of Australia. Associate Professor Lakra is committed to fostering a research culture within the mental health division. Please refer to the Mental Health research page for further details.
Consumer and Carer Advisory Group (CCAG)
The purpose of the Lived Experience Consumer and Carer Advisory Group (CCAG) is to uphold Northern Health’s commitment to the participation of consumers, families and carers in the improvement of service delivery, in line with the Royal Commission recommendations. The formal advisory group ensures the voices of consumers, families and carers are heard and their lived experience perspectives are incorporated in all program development levels.
The group is accountable to the Northern Health Quality & Risk Management Committee (QRM) and must adhere to Northern Health’s values of Safe, Kind and Together. The Consumer and Carer Advisory Group operates within a co-design framework where staff members can present ideas and new project proposals to the group and work with them to collaborate on a desired outcome and integrate the lived experience perspective into their work.
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING ACT 2022
The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System recommended the establishment of a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Act, replacing the Mental Health Act (2014). The new Act (2022) has an increased focus on human rights and emphasises the importance of supported decision-making and rights, and rights and recognition of the valuable support of family and carers.
The Act’s supported decision-making principles aim to ensure people are supported to make their own decisions about their treatment, care and support
The Act has measures to promote and assist communication between practitioners and people with mental illness and their families, carers and supporters. These measures support people receiving mental health and wellbeing services to understand information and participate in decision making.
For information related to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022, go to:
