Making the mental health system better, one client at a time
Pictured: (L-R) NWMPHN mental health clinicians Paulette Belcastro, Litsa Kyriakou and Jay Kumar.
“I like to do some light exercise, like walking,” says Paulette Belcastro.
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“This is great head space. I also find knitting and crochet to be excellent ways to challenge yourself, create, give gifts and just zone out for a while with a good audio-book or podcast.”
Paulette is NWMPHN’s mental health referral and access team veteran, working with the CAREinMIND™ and Head to Health teams since the program began 7 years ago.
Self-care of this type is essential for her and her colleagues. Team members receive calls and written referrals 5 days a week, 9am - 5pm. Their primary role is to make sure people going through psychological distress are connected to an appropriate service provider as quickly and safely as possible.
“It can be the first time a person has reached out … ”
Pictured: Mental health clinician Paulette Belcastro.
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It is a role that is stressful and rewarding in equal measure.
“The mental health system can be difficult to navigate and this can be a barrier for people seeking support,” Paulette explains.
“It can also be a nerve-wracking experience for someone who is already stressed. The system is often busy and there can be limited time for a professional to metaphorically walk with someone until they are with linked in with a person who can support them in the longer term.
“This role provides this important step in recovery. It can also be the first time a person has reached out for help, and if this is a positive experience for people, then it can be a relief and a therapeutic experience in itself. “
Paulette and her colleagues focus entirely on securing the best outcomes for clients.
NWMPHN is a major commissioner, developer and funder of mental health services, within its catchment and further afield.
This includes more than 80 CAREinMIND providers, a group of psychologists and other mental health clinicians who provide free mental health and suicide prevention support for people who cannot afford or have difficulty accessing other services. This is a diverse group of people who also work in private practice, community health and other organisations. Many languages, cultural backgrounds, lived experiences and special skillsets are represented.
Each time a referral comes in, Paulette and her team match this person to the best available clinician. And there’s lots of them: in 2022–23 our CAREinMIND providers delivered an incredible 43,606 sessions to people in Melbourne’s centre, north and west.
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The people who attend these sessions can complete YouSaid...™ surveys to report on their experiences and outcomes. They say things like:
“My provider has helped me through several problems, and I am confident he will continue to help me with more problems ahead.”
“My counsellor is so welcoming and totally non-judgmental. She has an amazing energy and I felt totally safe with her and every session so far.”
The consumers also raise opportunities for NWMPHN to improve its model of care. One example raised by more than half our survey respondents is the potential for their family or friends to be involved in their care. This is just one of many potential improvements being further investigated through a comprehensive mental health needs assessment, to be released in 2024.
NWMPHN commissioned Sketch Group to produce this video explainer for GPs and other health professionals, outlining mental health referral options.
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NWMPHN also manages Head to Health, a free confidential service from the Australian Government, which connects people with the help and support they need to keep mentally healthy.
NWMPHN commissions Head to Health service providers and also operates the 1800 telephone intake service across the state. This is helping thousands of Victorians to connect with local mental health support. They say things like:
“The woman who answered the phone for me was so incredibly empathetic and thorough. After many years in the mental health system I finally felt like I was really listened to and understood.”
Indeed, the organisation’s involvement in delivering mental health services is deep and broad, stretching from commissioning headspace centres to assist young people through to co-developing services for aged care home residents at risk of depression or anxiety.
This year saw a NWMPHN drive a major reform in the process of making mental health referrals. Responding to health sector feedback, the mental health services team designed a new, single referral form for use by GPs and other primary care providers.
It sounds like a small thing, but the form replaced a multitude of different bits of paperwork, simplifying the process for referrers and ensuring that patients were better supported. After months of careful development, the form was released right at the end of the financial year. Its worth was quickly recognised, with the makers of MedicalDirector and Best Practice GP patient record software quickly incorporating it into their platforms.
“Ensure that existing services are able to adapt … ”
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For the first time, the form was able to incorporate information generated by the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool – a method of standardising clinical judgements. With bilateral agreements driving its adoption across all parts of the service system, this tool has the potential to decrease fragmentation and help more people receive care in the right place, at the right time.
This hints at the other major, and ongoing, challenge for NWMPHN’s mental health workforce: making sure patients can take best advantage of what is a rapidly evolving service landscape.
“The advent of the Victorian Government’s new ‘Local’ mental health centres is very welcome indeed,” says Jag Dhaliwal, NWMPHN’s Executive Director, Service Development and Reform.
“Our key objective in relation to this is to do all we can to ensure that existing services are able to adapt to the expanded options now available, ensuring that patient care and support isn’t interrupted or duplicated.”
For Paulette and the other members of NWMPHN’s referral and access team, staying abreast of all these developments while helping every consumer find the best possible support is a complex task. Their hope, however, is that the result will be a simpler, more supported, experience for clients.
“The big concern at the moment is accessibility,” she says. “It is hard to see someone without a waitlist at the moment.”
GPs and other health and community service professionals can refer anyone experiencing mental ill health to our referral and access team. Our clinicians review referrals and allocate them to the most clinically appropriate service – regardless of who funds or provides it.
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Service while you wait: using students to support clients before formal engagement
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