Implementation of ethnic health policy in community mental health centres in Melbourne

The implementation of ethnic health policy in community mental health centres was investigated by using structured interviews with coordinators and staff of 13 centres in Melbourne. The major finding was that most policy recommendations were not implemented and that work on ethnic issues resulted from the initiatives of individual staff. The study demonstrates that the successful implementation of ethnic health policy requires higher priority from policy makers and government, greater attention to mechanisms to require or encourage implementation, and a strategy to ensure that resources (new or redirected) are allocated to the implementation process.