Mental Health Shared Care with General Practice

Overview:

Mental Health Shared Care with General Practice program provides specialist mental health workers to work with and provide support to General Practitioners.  These workers will provide care in colloboration, with the person's General practitioner, to people who have a complex or chronic mental health disorder, or are at risk of developing one and require early intervention.

This program is underpinned by the fundamental principles of the Mental Health Act 2009.

Program objectives:

• To enhance the physical health and mental health outcomes of people with significant mental health issues who are living in the community.
• To increase the number of people with significant mental health issues who receive services.
• To increase the number of people with a significant mental health issues who receive care delivered in a shared care model of practice.
• To reduce pressure on emergency services, emergency departments and acute units through effective collaborative primary care crisis prevention.
• To increase the capacity of General Practitioners to support people with significant mental health issues in the community.
• To improve communication, collaboration, networks and referral pathways between general practice, government and non-government mental health services and other relevant services which aims  to provide an integrated system of care.
• To provide early intervention, coordinated care and information and referral services.
• To enhance the health and mental health outcomes of specific groups including:
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population 
• Perinatal population
• Culturally and linguistically diverse population including consumers who may not speak english fluently (and can be aged), and refugees
• Aged population living in country regions.

Mental Health Shared Care with General Practice acknowledges funding from the Government of South Australia.