The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has launched a new Position statement on mental health care in general practice to coincide with Mental Health Week (9 – 15 October).
The RACGP’s position statement champions the central role of general practice in delivering mental health services to the community, emphasising the need for integration with general practice across all areas of mental health.
The release comes as the Australian Government continues the rollout of its most significant mental health reforms in a decade. A raft of changes to current funding and delivery models were announced in 2015, following delivery of the National Mental Health Commission’s review of mental health programs and services entitled Contributing Lives, Thriving Communities.
Included in the announcement were plans to develop a Digital Mental Health Gateway for online psychological support. Changes to mental health nurse funding are also underway.
RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel warned that engagement with general practice is critical to the success of the reforms.
“While these reforms have the potential to help individuals to access care, the RACGP is concerned about a lack of consultation with general practice in this crucial implementation phase,” said Dr Seidel.
“Careful planning must take place to ensure that new initiatives sit in the context of existing care pathways.”
Dr Seidel said the RACGP had undertaken important work over the last ten years to successfully integrate mental health care into primary care.
“Optimal care occurs in the context of the patient-centred medical home, in which patients have ongoing contact with a general practice that can provide and coordinate services to meet both mental and physical health needs,” Dr Seidel said.
“When you divert people away from general practice, where they have a dedicated care coordinator, service fragmentation can occur. Vulnerable people can slip through the cracks.”
The RACGP is calling upon the Australian Government to ensure that efforts to reform the sector keep general practice at the center of mental health care.
The position statement also discusses the role of inter-professional collaboration, the need for high-quality mental health education and training for general practice staff, and the importance of Medicare reform to better meet patient needs.
The RACGP Position statement on mental health care in general practice is now available on the RACGP website.