Capital Health Network

Capital Health Network

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For Health Professionals Mental Health Programs

Capital Health Network (CHN) is committed to ensuring people who access PHN-funded services receive the right services in the right place. CHN collaborates with service providers to ensure the delivery of metal health services are of exceptional quality and are responsive to the needs of the community.

CHN has a adopted a stepped care approach to the commissioning of mental health services for the ACT region and works in partnership with the mental health services sector to deliver a range of services that meet areas of identified need in the ACT.

Mental health activities commissioned include:

  • Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  • Stepped care – Next Step
  • Suicide prevention
  • Child and youth specific services
  • Services for people with severe and complex needs
  • Services for underserviced groups
  • Psychosocial supports.

Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) Decision Support Tool for mental health 

A tool to assist GPs and clinicians to recommend the most appropriate level of care for a person seeking mental health support is being rolled out. The Initial Assessment and Referral Guidance and Decision Support Tool (IAR DST) is being expanded and implemented in primary care by the Department of Health and Aged Care. CHN will work in collaboration with primary care providers and key stakeholders to implement IAR within the ACT. 

People may present with a range of interconnected factors that can make it challenging for a GP to determine the most appropriate level of stepped care to meet their individual needs. The tool: 

  • provides a standardised, evidence-based, and objective approach to assist with mental health care recommendations. 
  • brings together information from a variety of sources including Australian and international evidence and advice from a range of leading experts.
  • is used alongside a usual mental health assessment and the information gathered is then used to determine severity across eight domains (four primary care and four contextual domains).

For more information on IAR, visit CHN’s IAR webpage. 

Question, Persuade, Refer

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) is a suicide prevention intervention that teaches lay and professional gatekeepers to recognise and respond positively to someone exhibiting suicide warning signs and behaviours.

While informative for mental health professionals, the course and content is specifically targeted at audiences with no assumed knowledge of mental health or suicide prevention, and aims to provide them with the skills to connect someone at risk with professional support.

QPR online takes approximately 60 mins to complete and can be completed over multiple sessions. In addition, an individual who has finished QPR can continue to access the program for 3 years to refresh their skills and knowledge.

You can sign up to complete QPR Online here.

Emergency or crisis services

The PHN-funded programs do not provide emergency or crisis services. If your client is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the Canberra Health Services Access Mental Health on 1800 629 354 or (02) 6205 1065 (operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

Helplines and online support services