A Pivotal Link for Mental Health Services..

Referral pathways for mental health Services in NSW are changing, and Consultmed is proud to be providing the technology behind that change.

Improving access to mental health services remains a key challenge across Australia, with the Productivity Commission (2020/2021) highlighting that the complexity of Australia’s mental health system has resulted in many people who need treatment being unable to access appropriate services. Fragmentation, gaps and overlapping of services contribute to this complexity, signaling the need for a better way to manage the increasing demands for mental health services across Australia.

Australia’s Primary Health Networks (PHN’s) play a critical role in improving access to primary healthcare services in their regions, by supporting general practices, addressing regional gaps, and coordinating care. The Head to Health initiative has been commissioned by the Commonwealth government to make it easier for all Australians to access timely mental health support, assessments and treatments through a comprehensive nationwide service. As part of this initiative, NSW’s PHN’s in collaboration with Head to Health will move towards a statewide centralised ‘Hub and Spoke’ referral model in an effort to enhance access to care and streamline referral processes.

In this new model Intake and Assessment (IAR) will be performed at centralised Head to Health ‘Hubs’ whilst local PHN managed ‘Spoke’ services will coordinate care delivery. Consultmed’s innovative digital referral platform will enable this ‘Hub and Spoke’ model by streamlining the referral pathway and ensuring centrally processed referrals are forwarded to the right local service.

A closer look at the new referral process:

• A GP or primary healthcare provider such as a psychologist, can use Consultmed to refer their patient digitally to a local Head to Health service
• This referral will be sent to a central ‘Hub’ where a clinician from Amplar Health will triage the referral using the Commonwealth’s Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Assist Tool to inform the most appropriate referral pathway
• The patient will then be triaged to their appropriate local mental health service and followed up locally

Consultmed’s Triage, Forward and Share functionality allow the referral process to be managed seamlessly with no double handling, no paper and of course no unnecessary faxing. Additionally the Advice and Guidance function allows the primary care provider to be looped in at any stage in the process. All while ensuring patients only need to make contact with one healthcare provider before they are directed to and provided with the care that they need.

‘It has been inspiring to see the implementation of this initiative by the PHN’s in such a short time, with technology playing a crucial role in bringing this vision to life.’ Says Consultmed CEO & Paediatric Respiratory Physician A/Prof Vikram Palit. With 5 PHN’s including Healthy North Coast, Murrumbidgee PHN, and Hunter New England and Central Coast PHN going live in October, Consultmed is proud to have provided the technology that underpins this initiative and look forward to seeing this digitally enabled referral pathway improve access to mental health Services throughout NSW.

You can find more details on Head to Health and Consultmed here:

• Head to Health Information
• Consultmed’s H2H Secure Web Portal
• Consultmed’s Digital Referral Technology