Mental health services

Healthy North Coast funds a range of mental health services across the region. Services are delivered through local centres, hubs and outreach options. They are designed to be easy to access, culturally safe, well connected and matched to a person’s level of need. 

These services support people with mild, moderate, severe or complex mental health needs. They include early support, counselling, care from a team of health workers, youth services, suicide prevention support, headspace, Medicare Mental Health Centres and care coordination. Together, these services help fill local service gaps, improve access for people who may face extra barriers, and support better outcomes for people of all ages. 

Different levels of care 

Overview 

Stepped care means matching support to what a person needs. People can receive more or less support as their needs change. This helps people get the right care at the right time. 

Referral options help people get care that suits their needs, level of urgency, location and preferences. This may include a central intake service, local referrals, direct referrals to a service, or support from state, community and primary care providers. 

At the early support level, services may include online mental health tools, information and education, wellbeing planning, guided self-help, peer support, group programs and short-term support. For people with mild to moderate concerns, services may include counselling, psychological therapies, trauma-informed support and culturally appropriate care. People with more severe or complex needs may benefit from care coordination, mental health nursing, peer support, specialist advice, youth services or family support. When someone needs urgent help, hospital, crisis or emergency care may be the right option. 

Regional mental health services 

Mental health services are available across the North Coast through local centres, hubs and outreach services. This helps people in different communities, including rural and remote areas, get support closer to where they live. 

Services support people who may face extra barriers to care. This includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, young people, men at risk of suicide, people experiencing homelessness, people in rural and remote communities, and people with severe or complex mental health needs. 

• early support and low-intensity mental health care 

• counselling and psychological therapies for people who face barriers to Medicare-funded services 

• team-based support for people with severe or complex mental illness 

• youth services and family support 

• suicide prevention, aftercare and wellbeing support 

• care coordination and peer support 

Healthy North Coast works with people, communities, service providers, general practices and other partners to build a more connected mental health system. This helps make care easier to find, easier to move through and better matched to each person’s needs. We aim for a system where people can get help through many entry points and do not have to know exactly where to go first. 

Our approach includes: 

• using evidence, data, lived experience and local knowledge to fund services that meet regional needs 

• making it easier for people to move between local, regional, community, primary care and hospital services 

• supporting providers and workers to deliver safe, high-quality, culturally responsive care 

• matching support to each person’s needs and changing that support as their needs change 

• strengthening culturally safe, trauma-informed and inclusive practice, guided by Aboriginal peoples, lived experience and people who may face extra barriers 

• using outcomes, service quality data and feedback from people who use services to keep improving care 

Current priorities are to improve access, connection, fairness and ongoing care across the North Coast. This means funding services where they are most needed, making care easier to navigate, and helping services work together so people, families and communities receive more connected support. 

• Fair access across all North Coast local government areas 

• Services that match each person’s level of need and support choice in care 

• Better health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through culturally safe, community-connected care 

• Youth mental health, family support and early support 

• Suicide prevention, aftercare and support for people at increased risk 

• Safe, effective and culturally responsive services, supported by data, lived experience, evaluation, workforce development and ongoing improvement 

The aim is a mental health system where people can understand their options, get support early and move safely between services as their needs change. 

For people and communities, this means: 

• care is matched to the person’s needs, strengths, culture, choices and situation 

• it is clearer how to move between local, regional, community and hospital services 

• support can start early and increase or decrease as needs change 

• urgent or hospital-based care is available when there are immediate safety concerns 

• services work together so people stay connected to care and do not have to repeat their story unnecessarily