The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is welcoming a new subsidy for GPs to undertake Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training (FPS ST).
The support is timely, as Australia is grappling with a mental health crisis made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple lockdowns. Much of the population is under restrictions, with NSW facing its most severe outbreak yet, and Victoria in its sixth lockdown.
RACGP President Dr Karen Price said GPs with specialised mental health skills were needed more than ever.
“The pandemic is not only having a devastating toll on physical health, it’s wreaking havoc on mental health,” she said.
“GPs are seeing more and more patients coming to us who are feeling anxious, stressed and want help. Few people are aware GPs provide the overwhelming majority of mental health care in Australia. We are often the first port of call for patients with concerns.
“Even before the pandemic, mental health was a huge concern in Australia. It has rated as the most common presentation GPs deal with in the RACGP’s annual Health of the Nation survey for consecutive years now.
“More than ever, it’s important that we have affordable and accessible mental health care services available to every community.
“This will help to make a real difference in increasing access to specialised mental health care to the communities that really need it.”
The General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) is offering GPs a $600 subsidy after completing Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training. Applications to claim the subsidy open on 1 September 2021. More information is available on the GPMHSC website.
The RACGP offers an online Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training course. Those who complete the training become Medicare registered Focused Psychological Service providers, and can provide Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy-derived counselling to patients.
Rural and remote GPs are being encouraged to take up the opportunity in particular.
RACGP Rural Chair Dr Michael Clements said it was essential to improve access to mental health care in rural and remote communities.
“It’s especially challenging for people in rural and remote communities, because they often don’t have access to local mental health services, such as psychologists, counsellors and psychiatrists,” he said.
“As a rural GP myself, I know there is huge demand for mental health services from the local GP.
“A GP is the first port of call for patients with health concerns. Rural patients tend to have known their GP for a long time and trust them as a confidant, so when it comes to their mental health they often want to see them for help.
“And GPs are perfectly placed to provide this help due to the nature of general practice – we provide holistic and ongoing care to patients, we have insights into our patients lives, and can often be the first one to recognise that something is not quite right and start that conversation.”
The RACGP Rural Chair, who completed FPS training after floods struck his hometown Townsville, encouraged GPs across the country to take up the training opportunity.
“After my community was affected by flooding, I saw my role suddenly change from being a GP to a flood counsellor as well. I recognised that my patients needed more specialised mental health support, and so I did the training.
“I encourage GPs right across Australia, including big cities and remote communities, to grab this opportunity – you’ll be helping to increase access to affordable and effective mental health services for those in need. Everyone deserves access to high quality care including mental health regardless of their postcode.”
A 2018 Senate report detailed the gap in mental health services in rural and remote Australia – in regional areas, the per capita number of psychiatrists, mental health nurses and psychologists in 2015 were, respectively, 36 per cent, 78 per cent and 57 per cent of those in major cities. The situation was even worse in remote areas.