Mental Health Connect

---

The prevalence of mental health conditions continues to grow. Demand on General Practitioners, Primary Health and Community Service providers remains high.

Many programs and services offer early intervention for mental health conditions, or provide a mental health and wellbeing benefit. It remains a challenge to navigate service systems and find suitable options at the right time and right place.

To make the best connections, we need to be able to quickly search and match for mental health connect.

Digital directories can be an efficient way to identify and connect with services. Substandard digital directories exist.

Mental Health Connect will generate tailored response for time limited health professionals.

Importantly,  Mental Health Connect design and search priorities will be informed by:

• General Practitioners
• Primary Health Care providers
• Community Service practitioners
• Individuals
• Family and supporters

Mental Health Connect will consider factors such as current state of wellbeing or mental distress, location, Commonwealth, state, community and privately funded services.

Mental Health Connect will enable individuals to search for mental health and wellbeing programs and services, with guidance on factors like cost and access It will be easily found at a dedicated site www.mentalhealthconnect.com.au

It is not difficult to find a directory or website that has some (usually outdated) information on mental health services. It's much harder to find a search directory that is localised, tailored to level of care or support requirements and actually useful at the time of need (eg. during a clinical visit).

Mental Health Connect will provide practical and accessible connections to programs and services with the intention of reducing the load on the mental health treatment system.  

Objectives include:

• Provide an efficient and effective access point for local services and programs that are designed or likely to impact positively on mental health and wellbeing

• Enable General Practitioners, Primary Health and Community Service workers to utilise the directory to refer and advise patients/clients on access, including a warm referral where appropriate

• Enable individuals, family and supports to self-select and directly access services and programs designed or likely to impact positively on mental health and wellbeing