Initial Assessment and Referral for mental healthcare workshop

A $300 one-off incentive payment is available per GP/GP Registrar. 

*Payment is available to GPs and GP Registrars. Payment is not available to other medical staff, clinicians or GPs working in Adult Mental Health Centres or Aboriginal Medical Services already funded by the Government.

Background
The National IAR Guidance and the IAR Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) was developed by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Introduction to IAR and the development of the national guidance
The workshop will provide an introduction and orientation to the different levels of care, the domains used to assess patients, and the decision support tool; discuss how IAR can guide clinical judgement and support decision-making; and show how IAR can be applied in referral, assessment and intake settings using a practical activity focusing on a consumer vignette.

The objectives of the IAR guidance and IAR-DST
The IAR-DST aims to provide holistic assessment, distilling essential assessment information critical for decision-making and amplifying red flags; ensure patients receive the most appropriate level of care; and provide a nationally consistent decision support tool which guides, but does not replace, clinical judgement and consumer choice.

Learning outcomes:

• Describe the Initial Assessment and Referral development process.
• Describe 8 assessment domains of the Initial Assessment and Referral.
• Differentiate between levels of care and determine regional services appropriate to patients’ needs.
• Apply the decision support tool to generate a recommended level of care that is appropriate to the patient’s needs.
• Apply the principles related to clinical decision-making and consumer choice into practice.

The first component of the workshop focuses on an introduction and orientation to stepped care, the initial assessment and referral process and the decision support tool. The second component of the workshop is a practical activity focusing on a consumer vignette.

Other requirements:

• Participants must join using a computer or laptop with a camera.
• Participants are expected to leave their cameras on during the workshop.
• Participants should not join the workshop via telephone.
• To register in advance for each workshop.
• Participants are only expected to select and attend one workshop.

Presented by:
Brendan Chiew
Workforce Development Officer, SWSPHN