Context: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in primary care settings is high and patients are increasingly being discharged from specialist services to ongoing management by general practitioners. Many general practitioners are mistrustful of mental health services and consider them inaccessible. Several fragmented initiatives have enhanced capacity in the primary care sector, but increasingly services are looking to consolidate existing resources into a comprehensive program to support general practitioners.
Objectives: The Consultation and Partnerships team at Werribee Mercy Mental Health Program was formed in 2006. The model evolved over several years with the objective of facilitating the provision of quality mental health care to the local community by improving and developing the service's relationship with primary care providers.
Key messages: Consultation and Partnerships was created from existing resources by combining several small programs into one team. It currently provides a limited consultation, liaison and shared care service, but the model is designed so that additional components can be easily added to the basic structure. An extensive evaluation process is built into clinical practice to demonstrate effectiveness and attract additional resources. The team has already grown significantly and preliminary outcomes are presented.
Conclusion: Mental health services must reconsider their relationships with general practitioners and offer them more than educational activities and token clinical support. They should develop integrated models that provide meaningful shared care and demonstrate positive outcomes so that they can grow into comprehensive programs for primary care providers.
