As part of its commitment to safe, effective, and quality care delivery, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) has released a new single referral form for all primary mental health services in its region.
This makes it much easier for GPs and other health and community service professionals to refer patients to our mental health referral and access team.
The new form replaces the several different forms previously in use for our CAREinMIND™ services.
It is compatible with the Best Practice and MedicalDirector software platforms. To download it, please go to this NWMPHN resource page and select your system. Practices using non-compatible software can still use the form, available in Word or PDF formats from the same location.
In the coming months, Best Practice and MedicalDirector will embed the form through a system update. This means GPs will soon be able to access the form without needing to manually import it into their software. So, we encourage practices to keep their software up to date.
What happens after you send in a referral?
NWMPHN’s referral and access team will review the details and allocate patients to the most clinically appropriate service – regardless of provider or funder. Our mission is to source the best possible care for your patient.
The team comprises mental health nurses, psychologists and social workers. They use the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool to complement the judgement of clinicians and the preferences of patients. This tool provides standardised, evidence-based and objective recommendations on the most appropriate level of care for each person.
If you have any questions about a referral, you can always call the team directly between 9am and 5pm on business days, using the clinician-only hotline on (03) 9088 4277.
Once you have made a referral, you will receive confirmation, plus information regarding where your patient has been allocated. If they are later reallocated to a different provider or service, we will also let you know.
On average patients are seen within 4 to 6 weeks of referral.
Please note this is not a crisis service. If crisis support is required, please call 000 or your local emergency service. Clinicians seeking urgent support options should visit health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealthservices
More information
For more information on who can make a referral, what types of services are available, who provides these services and who can access the services, visit our referral and access page.
