20

Dec
2019

Strengthening Youth Mental Health Services in 2020

North Coast Primary Health Network (NCPHN) has been working with local service providers and community members to plan a range of initiatives for the coming year aimed at improving access to, and quality of, youth mental health care in the Coffs Coast region.

NCPHN CEO Julie Sturgess said mental health needs for young people living in and around Coffs Harbour range from those requiring low intensity early interventions to people with more complex challenges.

“The local health system is designed to work together to ensure all young people are receiving the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Our region is committed to a coordinated, whole of health system approach that recognises that it takes a village to support our youth – that no ‘one’ service can do it alone, rather the combination of efforts from different speciality services is what leads to better outcomes,” Ms Sturgess said.

“The newly funded Connect to Wellbeing service is a great example of how early assessment and referral to the appropriate level of care and information can change a young person’s life. Anyone can call Connect to Wellbeing, which is designed to be a first point of contact for a young person seeking help – experienced staff assess individual needs and make sure the most appropriate services are accessed.

“This could include referral to any number of evidence-based services, including Healthy Minds and NewAccess.”

Healthy Minds is a free counselling program with mental health professionals trained to support people through challenging times, while NewAccess provides free early intervention mental health coaching for persons 16 years and over.

“We have been working closely with GenHealth, who operate the local headspace centre, and the Mid North Coast Local Health District to ensure young people’s needs are not only met, but that services are improved in 2020,” Ms Sturgess shared.

From 1 January 2020, Coffs Harbour headspace will no longer employ general practitioners and will instead be supporting young people to access local general practices for their medical needs.

GenHealth CEO Bronwyn Chalmers explained that changing from a combined medical and mental health service to a holistic mental health and social wellbeing service for young people benefits the community.

“Our focus in 2020 is to strengthen a broad range of evidence-based initiatives that can contribute to a young person’s mental health wellbeing.

“Our staff are developing key relationships with local general practices and are working with GPs and practice staff to ensure youth-friendly shared care is available in the community. We are also working with NCPHN and our local communities to design peer workforce support services that can assist vulnerable young people to access local GPs.

“NCPHN have funded a GP Psychiatry Support Line to help local GPs and the important part they play in a young person’s mental health care plan. The GP Psychiatry Support Line is free to use and connects GPs with a psychiatrist who can provide advice on diagnosis, investigation, medication and safety plans,” Ms Chalmers added.

headspace centres are places where young people with mild to moderate mental health challenges can access brief and early intervention services. Young people receiving care from the Coffs Harbour centre are supported holistically with a range of evidence-based services designed to also address the known social determinants of mental health, such as education, employment and housing.

“Our extraordinary team of headspace mental health professionals are committed to early interventions and will be seeking opportunities to increase our social engagement activities for young people – drop in services, art groups, casual assistance and support,” Ms Chalmers said.

“For young people with higher needs, we are able to refer to other local services and programs designed to help support recovery-focused mental health needs. In our area, we are working closely with the Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) to support young people to access appropriate levels of care.”

Coffs Harbour headspace staff are excited about upcoming joint initiatives including:

  • Establishing an onsite sexual health clinic in collaboration with MNCLHD.
  • Providing onsite alcohol and other drug assistance in collaboration with MNCLHD.
  • Delivering onsite vocational education and training support with APM Employment Services. This support worker will be available weekly at headspace Coffs Harbour to help young people with mental health challenges engage in employment education and training.
  • Continuing to train new graduates via their registrar program and supporting student placements in psychology and social work to ensure we are training the new generations of mental health professionals to work well with young people – either directly with us or as professionals in the community we can refer to when needed.

NCPHN has thanked the local community, as well as service and funding partners, for their ongoing support and commitment in caring for, building resilience in, and celebrating our young people. They look forward to continuing to work collectively to ensure the best health outcomes for young people and their families.

Local Mental Health Services for Young People

  • Connect to Wellbeing – 1300 160 339 Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5pm.
  • NewAccess – free early intervention program that provides support from a coach, who will assess you, then work with you in setting practical, effective strategies to help you get back on track. Call 1800 010 630.
  • Coffs Harbour headspace – 02 6652 1878 Monday to Thursday 9:00 am to 5:00pm and Fridays 9:00am to 4:30pm.

If you need immediate mental health support contact:

24hr Mental Health Line — 1800 011 511
Lifeline — 13 11 14
Beyond Blue — 1300 22 4636

For children under 12 years: Kids Helpline — 1800 551 800

In an emergency, call 000 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

Contact for media enquiries

NCPHN Media Team

Phone: 0418 615 929

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Aged Care Disaster Management Planning

Strategic Priority Area: One team

North Coast is identified as the region most likely to be impacted by climate change in Australia and also forecasted greatest growth in those 65+.

Healthy North Coast takes a lead role in ensuring the older population and the sector that supports them are prepared for, can respond to and recover from disasters and other emergencies.

We have led eight regional disaster management capacity building workshops, bringing together SES, community organisations and the aged care sector.

We have also developed disaster preparedness tip sheets for both residential and community aged care providers.

Voluntary Assisted Dying

Strategic Priority Area: One team

In May 2022, the NSW Parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022. Effective from Tuesday, 28 November 2023, eligible people have the choice to access voluntary assisted dying. 

Healthy North Coast has developed a webpage for both health professionals and consumers, with links to available information and resources.

Living with Dementia resources

Strategic Priority Area: No one is left behind

Healthy North Coast has worked with people living with dementia, their families and local service providers to develop an information booklet that will help them connect with local and national supports along their journey.

The booklet includes commonly asked questions for people to ask their GP and/or specialist.

The resource is available in digital and printed copies, with more than 5,000 distributed across the region. An e-version is available to clinicians via the Dementia and Cognitive Impairment HealthPathway.

Deteriorating Resident Triage Tool Pilot

Strategic Priority Area: One team

The Deteriorating Resident Response Tool (DRRT) has been developed to guide RN’s in Residential Aged Care homes (RACHs) to better understand, anticipate and make clinical decisions responding to the deteriorating health of residents.

The objective of the DRRT is to give RACH staff clear information to triage and provide appropriate care for a range of residents’ health conditions, and, in turn, prevent unnecessary presentations to ED.

The tool has been designed together with a specialist geriatrician, consulting with stakeholders such as Residential Aged Care Managers, NSW Ambulance, GPs, and experts from Mid and North Coast LHDs.

The pilot commences in March with four participating RACHs. Evaluation measures will include effectiveness in building RN confidence and reported reduction in unnecessary hospitalisations. Findings will inform a future planned, region-wide implementation.

North Coast Care Finders Program

Strategic Priority Area: No one is left behind

The Care Finders program is a free region-wide service to support vulnerable older people who have no-one else to help them, to learn about, apply for and set up support services.

Care finders can help people understand what aged care services are available, set up an assessment, and find and choose services. They also help people with access to other supports in the community, both accessing services for the first time and changing or finding new services and supports.

On the North Coast, Healthy North Coast has commissioned four organisations to provide this important service: EACH, Carexcell, Lifetime Connect and Footprints.

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Psychological services in residential aged care homes

Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now

Healthy North Coast commissions two service providers to deliver psychological therapies and supports for older people with, or at risk of developing, a mental illness and who are living in residential aged care homes (RACHs).

The aim of the program is to both provide direct support to residents and their families and carers, as well as upskill the RACH workforce to respond to the needs of residents presenting with mental health concerns.

Social prescribing (Healthy Me Healthy Community)

Strategic Priority Area: Securing a Healthier Future

Delivered by Feros Care, the Healthy Me, Healthy Community program aims to build individual and community connections to reduce loneliness and improve wellbeing in Port Macquarie.

The program helps people to connect with community, activities, supports and services that address their broader social determinants of health, as an alternative or supplement to a clinical approach.

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Digital Health in Residential Aged Care

Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now

Timely access to primary health care professionals, whether through face-to-face consultation or telehealth, is recognised as an issue for many Residential Aged Care Homes (RACHs), that in some cases can lead to potentially preventable hospitalisations. RACHs require adequate telehealth facilities to support access to virtual consultations for their residents.

Project goals

  • Assist participating RACHs to have appropriate telehealth facilities and equipment to enable their residents to virtually consult when needed with their primary health care professionals, specialists and other clinicians. 
  • Provide training to participating RACH staff to support them to have the capabilities to assist their residents in accessing virtual consultation services.
  • Encourage increased use of My Health Record by RACHs, to improve the availability and secure transfer of resident’s health care information between RACHs, primary care and acute care settings.
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Greater Choice at Home Palliative Care Program

Strategic Priority Area: Improving Lives Now

Aims to provide people who have life limiting conditions the opportunity to exercise choice and receive high quality care at home, harnessing improved and better coordinated supports and services that meet their individual needs.

Program objectives:

  • Improve access to palliative care at home and support end-of-life care systems and services (in primary health care and community care)
  • To enable the right care at the right time and in the right place (to reduce unnecessary hospitalisation)
  • Generate and use data to support continuous improvement of services across sectors
  • Use available technologies to support flexible and responsive palliative care at home, including in the after-hours.

These objectives will contribute to achieving the following intended overarching outcomes of:

  • Improved capacity and responsiveness of services to meet local needs and priorities
  • Improved patient access to quality palliative care services in the home
  • Improved coordination of care for patients across health care providers and integration of palliative care services in their region.

Education & training funding elibility

Funding is open to all primary care providers within disaster affected communities across the Healthy North Coast footprint.

Workforce Locum support and R&R funding criteria

  • Available to primary care services in disaster impacted communities within the Healthy North Coast footprint.
  • Available to support short-term workforce coverage, allowing clinicians to rest and recover.
  • Workforce-support funding in total is capped for each site, over a 12-month period:
    • $10k for GPs and/or
    • $5K for nursing and/or
    • $5k administration support and/or
    • $5K allied/pharmacy and other.
  • Funding is not to be used to fill gaps in staffing that have not been able to recruit to and not to replace existing staff.
  • Healthy North Coast will assess requirements and approve available funding directly with the service requesting support.
  • Priority will be given to sites that have immediate, short-term workforce support needs.
  • Requests will be reviewed and supported on a case-by-case basis.
  • Program funding administered via RCTI Agreement (Recipient Created Tax Invoice) to be paid monthly, or on completion of the placement (whichever comes first).
  • Practices will be required to complete a request for payment form monthly, or on completion of the placement (whichever occurs first).

Wellbeing Flexible Funding Criteria & Eligibility

  • Open to all primary care providers within disaster affected communities across the Healthy North Coast footprint.
  • Activity must be purposeful, with the aim of increasing the wellbeing of your team.
  • Requests will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, with funding allocated based on team size.*
  • Following approval by Healthy North Coast, funding will be administered via RCTI Agreement (Recipient Created Tax Invoice) upon providing proof of expenses.
  • Funding cannot be used for the purchase of alcohol, or any other goods or services where the vendor cannot quote their Australian Business Number.
  • Planned activities must occur prior to 30th June 2024.
  • Funding will not be available for retrospective activities.
*Team Size
(Total staff and contractors)
Funding Available
Small (1-5)$500-$1500
Medium (6-20)$1500-$4000
Large (>20)$4000-$5000