Mental health Archives | Page 13 of 23 | South Western Sydney PHN

03 February 2023

Find out how to register and use the free interpreting services for mental health service providers commissioned by PHNs.

From 1 February 2023 all mental health services commissioned by Primary Health Networks (PHNs) may apply to access free interpreting services funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National).

The Australian Government is investing $7.8 million over two years (2022-23 to 2023-24) to ensure interpreting services for mental health service providers commissioned by PHNs are available. Language services are designed to ensure that people with limited or no English language proficiency can access the services and programs they need, removing a significant barrier faced by Australians from multicultural backgrounds when accessing mental health support.

How to register for TIS National

To access TIS services, mental health service providers register for a client code via the TIS National website.

TIS Online

You’ll be asked to complete an online registration form.

For the first four questions of the registration form, answer as follows:

Category — choose ‘Commonwealth Government Agency’
Sub-category — choose ‘Other Commonwealth Government agency’
Name of organisation or agency — enter the name of your organisation/service
Section name — enter ‘PHN-Funded Mental Health Program’

TIS National will email you the unique client code once your application is complete. You will also receive a welcome email containing your account details and information on how to use the services.

Services who provide mental health services through different government programs, you need to register a separate client code for each one.

How to access TIS National

TIS National provides access to the following interpreting services:

Immediate phone interpreting (131 450)

ATIS automated voice-prompted immediate phone interpreting

Pre-booked phone interpreting

On-site interpreting

Video remote interpreting

Once you have a client code, you can book an immediate phone interpreter by calling TIS National on 131 450 or make a booking through your TIS Online account (onsite, pre-book phone interpreting and video interpreting can only be booked via TIS Online). You should use phone interpreting services unless there’s a genuine need for an on-site interpreter. Providers will need to quote their unique client code when booking an interpreter.

A guide to TIS National services ebrochure

Download TIS’s guide for different service types and help with deciding the most suitable format for your client. Interpreters are available in more than 160 languages.

TIS National promotional materials catalogue

For more information visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website

Find out more

Souther Western Sydney PHN mental health services providers.

02 February 2023

NewAccess is designed to give you the skills to manage everyday life stresses such as work, study, relationships, health or loneliness.

The program is confidential and free of charge to you.

It was developed by Beyond Blue and is delivered in South Western Sydney by One Door Mental Health.

An Arabic-speaking coach is available to support multicultural communities.

Hear from Mireille below:

Find out more

Make an inquiry

12 December 2022

The holiday time can bring on feelings of stress and anxiety. Gift-giving, financial burdens, social situations, family dynamics and memories may add to this stress. Some people find this feeling unbearable.

It’s important to remember there is help available if you, a friend, or a family member is finding it hard to manage your mental health during this time.

SWSPHN encourages people living in South Western Sydney to give Head to Health a call. It is a free service designed to provide mental health support to anyone who needs it.

When you call Head to Health you will be connected to a trained professional who will assist you in finding the right care for your situation.

Call 1800 595 212 for free support.

Head to Health is open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm (except public holidays ie 26 and 27 December 2022 and 2 January 2023).

Learn about Head to Health

Access Headstart

If you, a friend or family member is in crisis, the following services are available:

Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
NSW 24 Hour Mental Health Access Line 1800 011 511
Lifeline 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

23 November 2022

Flex Allied Health is running Project Emerge’N’See which provides free mental health webinars to people living and/or working in our region!

The project is funded by a Mental Health Recovery Grant, an initiative of SWSPHN funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care.

It aims to promote good mental health and wellbeing to anyone affected by COVID-19, natural disasters, economic stresses or any other issues affecting their mental health.

The webinars are held every Thursday, from 7pm to 8.30pm.

They are run by Flex Allied Health’s psychologist, with guest speakers from its allied health team to develop a holistic approach to health and wellbeing.

Visit Eventbrite to reserve your spot!

15 November 2022

One of SWSPHN’s core functions is to work with community, service providers and others to design and commission a range of mental health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) services tailored to the unique needs of the South Western Sydney community.

SWSPHN’s Mental Health Central Intake Line exists to ensure that when GPs and other healthcare providers refer patients to these commissioned services, there is a standardised initial assessment which supports the treatment choices for that patient.

We take a closer look at the Central Intake Line – 1300 797 746 – in this month’s Under the Microscope.

Stepped care approach to providing mental healthcare

Stepped care is a model of evidence-based mental healthcare delivery where the service intensity is matched to individual need/severity of the mental illness, ensuring the right service is delivered at the right place, at the right time.

The ideal intervention is the least intensive and least intrusive.

Importantly, the decision is driven by a person-centred, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Patient outcomes are monitored so that patients can step-up or step-down between services as appropriate. Learn more about the mental health services we commission

The stepped care approach is underpinned by 10 comprehensive key principles for effective and inclusive service provision. Learn more about the 10 principles

The Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) has been developed to support a stepped care model in primary care. It is a useful tool to support GPs and other clinicians in recommending the most appropriate level of care for a person seeking mental health assistance.

Learn more about the IAR-DST and view available IAR workshops

What does our Central Intake team do?

SWSPHN’s Mental Health Intake Officers are available to liaise with GPs and other health professionals to discuss and review SWSPHN mental health and AOD referrals. This includes providing information on the different services available and eligibility requirements, who can refer and how they refer. The Intake Officers provide support over the phone and answer queries via email if appropriate.

Once a referral has been received, the Intake Officers ensure all the information needed is provided, before processing and allocating the referral.

Referrals are processed within three business days and allocated to the appropriate mental health service providers. The service providers then contact the patient within five business days of notification and an appointment is scheduled within one month. This timeframe can vary depending on the volume of referrals and service capacity.

How do you refer your patients to our commissioned services?

There are two ways GPs can refer their patient to a SWSPHN-funded mental health service.

Use the Mental Health Central Intake template within your practice software. The Central Intake team will forward the referral to the appropriate service or service selected by the GP.
Complete the online Mental Health Smart Referral Form (please note, this form is not compatible with GP software). Appropriate documentation must be attached to both faxed referrals and online referrals made through the smart form.

Where possible, GPs are asked to send a copy of the Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) for their patient with the referral. This will enable the patient access to the full number of sessions corresponding to the service.

Access the Adult Mental Health Treatment Plan
Access the Child Mental Health Treatment Plan

Clinical Suicide Prevention Service referrals

GPs can refer to the Clinical Suicide Prevention Service by completing the SWSPHN Clinical Suicide Prevention Referral Form. Referrals to the service are treated with priority and processed within 24 (business) hours of receipt, with the patient receiving a call from a clinician within this time frame.

Submit these forms to HealthLink: swsphnmh; fax: 02 4623 1796.

For support making a referral, phone SWSPHN’s Mental Health Central Intake on: 1300 797 746.
It is important to note, this is not a crisis service. In an emergency, please call 000 (Triple 0).

15 November 2022

The National Suicide Prevention Office has launched public consultation on a scoping paper for the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

The National Suicide Prevention Office (NSPO) was created in early 2022 with the responsibility for working across governments, portfolios, and sectors to drive the development of a nationally consistent and integrated approach to suicide prevention. 

The development of a National Strategy is an immediate priority for the National Suicide Prevention Office. The strategy will form the basis for the coordinated action which is required across all governments, portfolios and communities to create an Australia where no person feels driven to suicide.

The NSPO has committed to ensuring the voice of lived experience of suicide is central to the development of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

To have your say on the scope for the development of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, click here.

Expressions of Interest now open for National Suicide Prevention Strategy Working Groups

The NSPO is also seeking expressions of interest from individuals to join the working groups that will inform the development of the Strategy in greater detail. Please review the Terms of Reference and complete the EOI nomination form click here.

10 November 2022

SWSPHN has developed a service directory for carers of people who are living with mental health issues. The directory lists all current federal, state, and local non-profit support services for carers, with a focus on NDIS access and planning.

Go to directory

This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 9 November 2022. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.

02 November 2022

SWSPHN’s Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) team facilitated the 6th annual Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs Roundtable event at Rydges Campbelltown on Tuesday, 1 November.

Each year, the roundtable brings together key stakeholders who support people experiencing mental health and/or alcohol and other drug issues in our region with the aim of fostering collaboration between service providers and strategising the integration of multidisciplinary care for people experiencing co-morbidity issues.

This year, we welcomed Dr Elizabeth Conroy from Western Sydney University to speak on insights from a research perspective of mental health and AOD co-morbidity. Russell Bickford from Odyssey House NSW and Benjamin Ong from Head to Health also inspired participants with organisational experience with integration.

Other guest speakers included community members with living experience and Rush Electra from the South Western Sydney Local Health District Drug Health team discussing the role of the Drug Health Consumer Engagement Manager and service integration.

The event concluded with a brainstorming session about the Organisations’ Action Plan (OAP), where participants talked about how organisations can improve coordination and integration of Mental Health and AOD support for consumers residing in South Western Sydney.

28 October 2022

Work, health and safety awareness was the main course at SWSPHN’s SafeTea morning tea on Wednesday (26 October), where almost 40 staff came together to have a conversation about workplace safety.

We hosted the morning tea for National Safe Work Month which highlights the message: being healthy and safe means being free from physical and psychological harm.

Data from Safe Work Australia, which drives the campaign, shows more than 120,000 workers are compensated for a serious work-related injury or illness in Australia each year and just under 200 are fatally injured at work.

However, injury in the workplace is not only physical. The campaign also focuses on how managing risks to mental health– or psychosocial hazards – at work is just as important as managing risks to physical safety.

Our Quality and People Coordinator told the gathering we are “lucky to have an organisation genuinely committed to a mentally safe workplace”.

“Today is a good opportunity to make the connection between physical safety in the workplace and mental health safety and to find out about resources which can help,” she said.

21 October 2022

After years of screaming from the rooftops, “if you’re in crisis call Lifeline, if you’ve got a problem, please put your hand up and ask for help” we are now seeing people reach out in numbers we’ve never seen before.

Lifeline International President and keynote speaker, John Brogden AM had this positive message for attendees at SWSPHN’s Mental Health Symposium 2022 at Rydges, Campbelltown on Wednesday, 19 October.

The symposium aimed to highlight a range of innovative local programs, initiatives and supports to address the needs of South Western Sydney, and work towards improved mental health outcomes.

It was facilitated by Adam Holstein who has been working in the community services sector for more than 20 years in the areas of youth work, disability services, training and mental health.

Mr Brogden joined Anthea Raven, from the Mental Health Access Branch of the Department of Health and Aged Care, as the two keynote speakers for the event.

The former NSW Opposition Leader shared his personal experiences “living” with mental illness and suicidal ideation with an audience of almost 200 attendees via Zoom from Ghana, West Africa where he is supporting the establishment of a Lifeline-style helpline.

“Early in my time at Lifeline, when our call numbers used to go up, I used to think there was something wrong – there’s a problem in Australia,” he told the audience. “But now I think the more calls we get, the better the situation is.

“After years and years of telling people to reach out, we are now seeing them reach out. We are now seeing them in numbers we’ve never seen before.

“Lifeline is an anonymous service. What people can’t tell mum, dad, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, best friend, boss, whoever it might be, they can ring a complete stranger. We practice nonjudgmental listening – that’s an important element of what we do.”

The symposium was held face-to-face for the first time since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opening the event, SWSPHN Director of Planning and Performance, Amy Prince, said she was struck by how much the landscape had changed in the face of pandemic since our last symposium.

“Service providers have adapted and changed their service models to address the increasing needs of consumers,” she said.

“The community in South Western Sydney has experienced fires, floods, tragic accidents and some of the harshest lockdown restrictions in the state.

“Over the past few years our communities have lived through what is hopefully the most challenging social and political environment they will face in their lifetime.

“And our frontline mental health service providers have been right alongside them. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to each of you.”

The symposium’s morning session included presentations from commissioned service providers including One Door Mental Health (Connector Hub), Odyssey House NSW (services available for Alcohol and Other Drugs and mental health comorbidity) and headspace Bankstown (Flourish Australia).

SWSPHN Mental Health and AOD Manager, Jade Weidner, gave an implementation overview of the South Western Sydney Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan before attendees broke into groups for workshops.

The afternoon session included presentations on the You in Mind Peer Support Program, supports for bushfire affected communities, Changing Life Keep Your Balance Bilingual Community Education Program and the Workforce Capacity Building Project at Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council.

The event concluded with a panel discussion with experts on suicide prevention and aftercare, a self-care session presented by South Western Sydney Recovery College and a raffle draw.

After the symposium, Ms Weidner thanked all those who contributed to making the event such a success, including the keynote speakers, the wonderful Welcome to Country by the Koomurri Dance Group, presenters and workshop facilitators.

“It was fantastic to be back in the room with so many people committed to improving mental health outcomes in our region, to share experiences and knowledge,” she said.

“Feedback on the day has been positive with attendees describing the symposium as informative, educational, fun and inspiring.”

The symposium attracted participation from across the South Western Sydney community, SWSPHN commissioned service providers and government and non-government mental health-related organisations.