HeadtoHelp mental health hubs

During the first wave of the pandemic, families around the world expressed solidarity by placing teddy bears in windows. In phase two of the HeadtoHelp campaign, we’re asking people to #SharetheBear to show their support for people in need of mental health care.

• Download campaign toolkit (includes links to all assets)

Individual assets – English

• A4 poster: Feeling lonely
• A4 poster: Feeling uncertain
• A4 poster: Job worries
• Social media content calendar
• Social media post: Feeling anxious?
• Social media post: Feeling lonely?
• Social media post: Feeling sad?
• Social media post: Feeling stressed?
• Social media post: Feeling uncertain?
• Social media post: Job worries?
• DL brochure: HeadtoHelp general
• Video: HeadtoHelp general
• Video: Feeling lonely 
• Video: Money stress
• Email signature (GIF): HeadtoHelp general
• Website banner: HeadtoHelp general
• Webpage header: HeadtoHelp general
• Webtile: HeadtoHelp general

Individual assets – languages other than English

• A4 poster – Arabic
• A4 poster – Dinka
• A4 poster – Chinese (Simplified)
• A4 poster – Greek
• A4 poster – Hindi
• A4 poster – Italian
• A4 poster – Punjabi
• A4 poster – Somali
• A4 poster – Turkish
• A4 poster – Vietnamese
• Digital tile – Arabic
• Digital tile – Chinese (Simplified)
• Digital tile – Chinese (Traditional)
• Digital tile – Vietnamese
• Translated copy – Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Vietnamese

For help with any of these files, or if you would like crop-mark versions for professional printing, or vertical videos, please email communications@nwmphn.org.au

The service supports Victorians of any age experiencing distress or mental ill health, as well as their families. This includes:

• people who have never accessed mental health services before, and their family and friends
• people in aged care, their family and friends
• those ineligible for Medicare, including refugees, people seeking asylum, international students, those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

You can still refer eligible patients to CAREinMIND™ and you don’t have to change how you refer patients to CAREinMIND.

The HeadtoHelp intake team may refer eligible patients to CAREinMIND services and other existing services, including those in the NWMPHN System of Care.

HeadtoHelp intake staff will ensure there is no duplication in your patient’s treatment and services with existing providers.

GPs and other health professionals can refer patients to HeadtoHelp. No referral or mental health plan is needed in the first instance.

We ask that you do a friendly transfer to the HeadtoHelp service using the 1800 595 212 intake number.

People can either call HeadtoHelp on 1800 595 212, or go directly to a local hub – although calling the intake number first is strongly preferred.

Access to hubs will not be restricted by the location of the person

There are 15 HeadtoHelp hubs across the state. Three of them are in North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network’s region in Wyndham Vale, Brunswick East and Broadmeadows.

• Map of the 15 hubs

HeadtoHelp is not a crisis service. Services currently operate from 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

If all intake team members are engaged, callers during business hours can leave a message to be called back. After-hours callers will hear a recorded message providing the Beyond Blue number for immediate help. The message also invites callers to call back during HeadtoHelp opening hours.

When you call HeadtoHelp, an experienced mental health professional will work with you, or your patient, to assess their needs and connect them with the most appropriate services, which may include the new mental health hubs or existing services.

In most cases, people will be connected to an existing service, online mental health support service or other community mental health services.

In all cases people will be strongly encouraged to connect with their regular GP or will be helped to find a GP.

People may also be connected to aligned services such as alcohol and other drugs services, family violence services and specialist and support services.

In all cases, people will be strongly encouraged to connect with their regular GP, or will be helped to find a GP.

Intake and assessment will be performed by HeadtoHelp team members on the 1800 595 212 line or direct at a hub.

Team members will use the Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) decision support tool and the Initial Assessment Domains tool to perform intake and inform the level of care required. People with level 1 and 2 needs will be connected with existing lower intensity services. Those with level 3 and 4 needs may receive care at the hubs, either onsite or through telehealth, or other more suitable services. Level 5 will be connected to specialist or acute mental health services, including into emergency care or into an area mental health triage.

Infographics

• Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) decision support tool
• Initial assessment domains
• The HeadtoHelp service model

If there is no appropriate service for a person, the hub can provide telehealth and onsite mental health support through multidisciplinary teams. We are expecting to focus on people with level 3 and 4 needs as determined by the Initial Assessment and Referral tool (see above).

The HeadtoHelp hubs, as they are scaled up, will include multidisciplinary teams of mental health workers, including psychologists, mental health nurses, social workers, and alcohol and other drugs workers, who will coordinate with the patient’s regular GP – or help them find a regular GP. Most hubs will not have a psychiatrist on-staff, as this is not supported by the funding model.

We encourage the use of shared care plans, and you will be informed of the outcomes of all your referrals. If your patient needs a mental health treatment plan to access other mental health services, a HeadtoHelp team member will be in contact with you.