Peter Orchard

Peter, a Director of AHA, has over 15 years of healthcare consulting and work experience, including conducting many projects for federal, state and local governments. Peter brings to the AHA team particular expertise in the mental health, community health, alcohol and other drug and homelessness sectors. His work across these sectors has included a significant focus on service reform, with particular emphasis on the establishment of integrated service systems.

Prior to joining AHA, Peter was Deputy CEO for headspace - Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation. The role included oversight of the establishment of new headspace services, which are integrated ‘one stop shops’ for delivery of mental health, alcohol and other drug, primary care and vocational assistance interventions and support to young people and their families across Australia. This entailed working closely with the executive level of the Department of Health and Ageing Mental Health and Workforce Division, as well as heads of mental health and other key stakeholders across each state and territory government.

Peter has a high level of expertise in program evaluation, having led many major program evaluations as well as other projects on behalf of federal and state governments, and national bodies. Recent examples include:

• Mid-Point Review of Organ and Tissue Donation National Reform Package (Organ and Tissue Authority)
• Review of the Haemophilia Foundation of Australia (Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing)
• Evaluation of the Psychosocial Response to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires (Victorian Department of Health)
• Evaluation of the Establishing Quality Health Standards Budget Measure (Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health)
• Evaluation of the Victorian Dual Diagnosis Initiative (Victorian Department of Health)
• Evaluation of the Community Mental Health Transition to Recovery Programs (Queensland Department of Communities)
• Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program Case Study Project (National Advisory Council on Mental Health)
• Evaluation of the Human Services Quality Framework Trial (Queensland Department of Communities)
• Investigation of Comparative Demand Management Models (National Blood Authority).