Mental Health in General Practice: Brisbane North PHN
Status: Completed November 2019
Client: Brisbane North Primary Health Network
Background
It is broadly acknowledged that general practitioners (GPs) are central in delivering high-quality mental health services to patients Australia-wide. Recent research suggests that the workload of the typical GP comprises a high proportion of mental health-related presentations and that a relatively small proportion of mental health presentations are being referred onward to appropriate support services. As a result, it is hypothesised that many people accessing primary health care for mental health concerns are not receiving the right supports at the right time.
To enhance access to appropriate mental health services, Brisbane North PHN invested significantly in supporting GPs to refer their patients to appropriate mental health services through a stepped care referral portal and support from a central intake team. Additionally, the community and stakeholders in Brisbane North have indicated that suboptimal awareness, knowledge, skills and attitudes of GPs contribute significantly to the way in which effective support is provided to people with mental health concerns who present to general practice.
As part of Brisbane North PHN’s effort to enhance the regional mental health system, they engaged Beacon Strategies to undertake an engagement process with GPs in Brisbane North to better understand how to support GPs to deliver mental health services in the primary care setting.
Approach
The engagement sought to better understand:
What resources and training are available to support GP management of mild to moderate mental health concerns
How effective and accessible are available resources at supporting screening, identification and early intervention
How effective and accessible are the formalised training opportunities for GPs in this area
The consultation was informed by the desktop research exercise which scanned the existing evidence base, national guidelines, framework and tools that relate to supporting the provision of mental health supports in primary care.
Outcomes
Based on the engagement approach, 8 potential activity areas were then explored.
Beacon Strategies provided recommendations and next step considerations to Brisbane North PHN for them to support GPs to deliver optimal care for people experiencing mental health concerns.
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