A child and adolescent mental health psychiatry consultation and liaison service continues to be available through the Royal Children’s Hospital.
The service is provided by child psychiatrist, Dr Prakash Chidambaram. Dr Prakash is available on Fridays from 9am to 5pm.
GPs, paediatricians and mental health clinicians can request a secondary consultation for a patient aged 5–17 years of age with either established or suspected mental health disorders and/or neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and intellectual disability (ID).
The secondary consultant service will provide advice regarding a range of questions including about diagnosis, assessment, risks, management and referral options. Please note the service is not appropriate for situations where there is an immediate risk or need for face-to-face assessment.
Who can access this service?
GPs, paediatricians and mental health clinicians in private clinics who wish to consult with a consultant psychiatrist to obtain advice and recommendations for assessment and treatment of acute mental health conditions in their patients. This also includes phone consults (secondary consultations) and, with prior planning, telehealth joint reviews of patients (primary consultations).
How can they access this service?
Clinicians can email mhs.intake@rch.org.au with details of the clinical situation and the specific question to which a response is required. Please include the enquiring clinician’s contact details. Clinicians can also call 1800 44 55 11 between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday to speak with an intake clinician and leave a message.
Requests will be answered by the psychiatrist on Fridays (see below).
When can they expect a response from the psychiatrist?
Between 9am to 5pm on Fridays.
Referral details are available in the Urgent or Routine Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Referral page on Health Pathways Melbourne.
This service was established as part of the Connecting mental health paediatric specialists and community services (COMPASS) pilot project which North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network helped coordinate. Learn more about the project here.
Disclaimer: This article was provided by The Royal Children’s Hospital. While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network does not warrant or represent the accuracy, currency and completeness of any information or material included within.
