The General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration enters its teens

Background: The General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC), funded since 2001 by the Commonwealth Department of Health, includes representatives from general practice, psychiatry, psychology and the community. It operates under the auspices of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. The GPMHSC, responsible for standards of education and training for the Better Access initiative, also promotes development and uptake of quality professional development in mental health for GPs.

Objectives: To assist psychiatrists in better understanding the work of the GPMHSC and through this the contribution GPs do and can make to mental health care in the community.

Methods: This presentation will take a narrative approach, enriched by key data items, to describing the work of the Collaboration and how its contributions have developed through time.

Findings: From commencement the GPMHSC has committed to collaborative involvement of consumers and carers in development and delivery of training programs. Over 22,000 GPs have completed Mental Health Skills Training (MHST) as specified by the GPMHSC, so being eligible to use better remunerated MBS items for treatment planning. Over 800 are compliant with requirements for delivery of Focused Psychological Strategies. Recent GPMHSC activities include innovation in MHST training with a modular pathway and supporting development and evaluation of Templates for GP use in Mental Health Treatment Planning.

Conclusions: The GPMHSC is a significant formative influence on primary mental health care in Australia. The GP is a critically important provider of mental health care in communities and awareness of GPMHSC initiatives can assist psychiatrists in collaborative working with GPs.