Mental Health Commission
The Mental Health Commission (Commission) facilitates delivery of more than $1.77 billion per annum of mental health, alcohol and other drug (AOD) services in Western Australia.
The Commission’s Agency Commissioning Plan (2023-2030) (the Plan) sets out the guiding principles, intentions and focus areas for commissioning over the short and medium term. The Plan is supported by a Commissioning Schedule that provides a timeline of planned commissioning for new and existing mental health and alcohol and other drug community services.
The Plan and Commissioning Schedule are updated biennially.
The Commission has a Commissioning Framework outlining its approach to commissioning and is informed by contemporary practice and the organisation’s strategic direction.
Accreditation Requirements for Non-Government Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drug Services
The Mental Health Commission (Commission) requires all non-government providers of mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) services to obtain and maintain accreditation through a recognised quality standard.
Accreditation for Non-Government Mental Health Services
Currently, Commission-funded non-government mental health service providers must be accredited against the National Standards for Mental Health Services 2010 (NSMHS) by a recognised Certification Body.
Transition to the CMO Standards
As of 1 July 2027, the Commission will transition from the NSMHS to the
National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations Standards (CMO Standards).
Non-government organisations (NGOs) contracted by the Commission to deliver mental health services will be required to transition to the CMO Standards.
Read the CMO Standards Guide for Service Providers
If an NGO’s accreditation is due on or before 30 June 2027, NGOs may choose to continue with the NSMHS or adopt the CMO Standards.
If accreditation is due on or after 1 July 2027, NGOs must be accredited against the CMO Standards.
Re-certification is required every three years, prior to the expiry of the current accreditation.
This information should be considered in conjunction with the non-government service provider’s specific contractual arrangements with the Commission.
Resources and Support
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has developed comprehensive resources for service providers, consumers, and carers to support the implementation of the CMO Standards.
Non-government AOD providers
Non-government AOD service providers are required to be accredited against one of the recognised standards identified in the National Quality Framework for Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services (2019) . Accreditation is to be obtained through a recognised Certification Body and re-certification is expected every three years before expiration of the previous accreditation.
Consumer/client and family/carer input
The Commission encourages all mental health and AOD consumers/clients, their families/carers, and other key stakeholders, to provide feedback to the Certification Body (auditor) when they visit service sites for accreditation purposes. Please contact your service provider to find out when the auditor is due to visit the services you use/work with.
If you have any queries about accreditation requirements for mental health or AOD services, please email quality@mhc.wa.gov.au.
Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Incidents
All non-government mental health and AOD services purchased by the Commission are required to report Notifiable Incidents to the Commission within a reasonable timeframe. Some mental health NGOs are also required to report Notifiable Incidents to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist (OCP) and the Department of Health’s Licensing Accreditation and Regulatory Unit (LARU).
The Commission, in partnership with the OCP and the LARU has established an secure, online portal called the Notifiable Incident Management System (NIMS) for the reporting of Notifiable Incidents by all providers.
NIMS enables mental health service providers and AOD service providers to report Notifiable Incidents to one or more relevant government agencies.
Effective 16 September 2024, notifiable incidents are to be reported through the Notifiable Incident Management System (NIMS).
To use NIMS, providers must be registered. To establish registration, providers should email the NotifiableIncidents@mhc.wa.gov.au.
For Staffed Residential Services
All Private Psychiatric Hostels and Supported Accommodation Providers (excluding Step Up Step Down services) are required to report Notifiable Incidents to three government agencies: the Commission, the OCP and the LARU.
All NGOs providing psychiatric hostel services and support accommodation services should report Notifiable Incidents to all three government agencies using NIMS by selecting the “OCP Private Psychiatric Notifiable Incidents Form”.
For NGOs providing mental health services that employ clinicians (including Counselling Face to Face)
All NGOs providing mental health services that employ clinicians should report Notifiable Incidents to the Commission and the OCP by using NIMS and selecting the form :“OCP Notifiable Incident Form for NGOs providing mental health services that employ clinicians”.
All other Mental Health Services
All other Mental Health Services should report Notifiable Incidents using NIMS and selecting the “MHC Notifiable Incident Form”.
All AOD Services
All AOD services should report Notifiable Incidents using NIMS and selecting the “Notifiable Incident Report Form for Alcohol and Drug service providers”.
The Commission is currently revising its Notifiable Incident policy and procedure to incorporate NIMS. This will be made available soon.
Page last updated19 August 2026
