What is Better Crisis Care

Mental health crises can cause significant stress for the person and their family and carers. We're helping to make it easier for people to access the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Better Crisis Care: a framework for improving mental health crisis care in Queensland (PDF 8258 kB) highlights the guiding principles and core services needed for an effective crisis care system.

We've built this framework together with people with lived experience of mental health crisis, clinicians, public health leaders and key partners including primary health networks and emergency services.

Why it's important

The need for mental health crisis care, including suicide crisis care, has increased significantly in the past 10 years. Mental health crises can be very challenging but people can recover with the right support at the right time. That's why people need access to recovery-focused and preventative support close to home.

We asked individuals, families and care providers to describe what good crisis care looks like. Their answers are our guiding principles:

  • Prevention focused
  • Easy to access and compassionate
  • Trauma-informed
  • Family and carer inclusive
  • Culturally safe and inclusive
  • Recovery-oriented and person-centred
  • Holistic and integrated
  • Safe and high quality

Framework

Better Crisis Care: a framework for improving mental health crisis care in Queensland (PDF 8258 kB)

Poster

Better Crisis Care: at a glance (PDF 1811 kB)

Better Care Together

Our crisis care framework supports Better Care Together, our plan for Queensland state-funded mental health, alcohol and other drug services (PDF 7517 kB)

Our progress

Track our achievements in crisis care initiatives and other improvements to our mental health, alcohol and other drugs service system at Better Care Together annual updates.

Core services

We're working to increase availability of a range of core services to prevent, respond to and resolve mental health crises.

  • Someone to talk to

    In-person, phone and digital options offer a warm connection, information and advice, as well as help to access urgent care in an emergency.

  • Someone to respond

    Mobile and outreach services can respond urgently to people at home and in the community with follow-up care when needed.

  • Somewhere to go

    Community and hospital-based centres provide immediate, short and medium-term supports, from primary to inpatient care.

Last updated: 30 May 2025