Overview

Development of the Initiative
The 2001 Federal Budget initiative: Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care, seeks to improve the mental health care available to Australians by building a strong system of primary mental health care. General Practitioners (GPs) are important providers of this care.

The findings from a number of national and international research projects conducted throughout the 1990s positioned mental health as a major focus of health policy development and implementation. The ‘Global Burden of Disease’ study conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (Murray & Lopez 1996) predicted that by the year 2020 mental illness will account for 15% of disease burden worldwide and that, in the future, depression will be a leading cause of disease burden, second only to ischaemic heart disease. This indicates an increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders worldwide (Murray & Lopez 1996).

The Initiative: in a Snap Shot - The Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Initiative
Since May 2001, the Commonwealth Government has provided $120.4 million over four years for the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Initiative. The initiative aims to support GPs in improving the quality of care provided through general practice to Australians with a mental health disorder. This will be achieved through the provision of mental health education and training for GPs and more support for them from allied health professionals and psychiatrists.

This initiative has five major components. Together, the components form a comprehensive system of primary mental health care, which is focussed on continuity of care and quality mental health outcomes. The 3 Step Mental Health Process offers time and a process for managing care through an assessment, a mental health plan and a review. The 3 Step Mental Health Process forms the basis of the initiative from which further components can be accessed.

The five components are:
1. 3 Step Mental Health Process - a Service Incentive Payment (SIP) is provided to encourage effective management of mental health problems by GPs through a 3 Step Mental Health Process that includes an assessment, a mental health plan and a review;

2. Education and Training for GPs - to familiarise GPs with the initiative and to increase the mental health skills of GPs;

3. Focussed Psychological Strategies - to encourage appropriately trained GPs to provide evidence based focussed psychological strategies (FPS) through the provision of Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) rebates;

4. Access to Allied Health Services - to enable GPs to access psychological and other allied health services to support their patients with mental health disorders; and,

5. Access to Psychiatrist Support - to better enable psychiatrists and GPs to participate in case conferencing and for psychiatrists to provide timely patient management advice.