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CHN received funding from the Australian Government to establish one of eight Head to Health Centres, with one in each state and territory. The Head to Health Centre was required to offer a stigma-free, soft entry point for people with mental ill health that provides a central point to connect people to other services, initial intake and assessment, and evidence-based short to medium term intervention.
The Head to Health Centre was targeted to open in December 2021, however the impact of COVID-19 in the ACT in the second half of 2021 led to the rapid establishment of a Head to Health Pop-Up Clinic in October 2021. In partnership with lead agency Think Mental Health, CHN established both of these services within a short period of time.
The Canberra Head to Health services provide free mental health support, information and advice, service navigation, assessment, referral and both individual and group interventions to Canberrans seeking help and their families, friends and carers. People can access Canberra Head to Health by calling a national phone line, requesting a call back on the Canberra Head to Health website, or walking in.
Since establishment, the Canberra Head to Health received 1,323 phone calls, 48 walk-ins and 221 requests for a call back on the website across both services. 342 initial assessments were conducted using the Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) Decision Support Tool, with around 75% indicating moderate or higher needs. The Head to Health Centre provided a total of 366 sessions (297 individual sessions and 69 groups). The Pop-Up Clinic provided a total of 210 sessions across 74 unique clients. Most people attending Head to Health self-referred (83%), with 9% being referred by GPs. The service has received positive feedback, with over 90% of users reporting being satisfied or very satisfied with the service when surveyed.
Testimonial
“Definitely a worthwhile 5-week investment. Many of the strategies I received were the first I’d ever heard and I’ve been seeing a psychologist for 20 years” – Head to Health Group Program participant
“I have been trying to get new mental health support on and off for almost over a year, so coming in and feeling like people really cared and that they really did listen and that they can help is huge, massive!” – Head to Health service user
“Amazing support, felt heard and understood. Very appreciative for the acknowledgement and care for my safety with two extra sessions to make sure I was okay.” – Head to Health service user
Client Story
Julia* (not their real name) completed an Initial Assessment and Referral at Canberra Head to Health with an outcome level of high needs. She presented with symptoms of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Julia presented with significant risk issues, reporting persistent thoughts of suicide though she did not have any intent or plan to act. She was referred to receive services within Canberra Head to Health and booked for a comprehensive mental health assessment.
Julia completed a total of 16 individual intervention sessions with a psychologist through Canberra Head to Health. The treatment included trauma-informed cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Julia was also prescribed an evidence-based e-therapy program for treatment of OCD through Canberra Head to Health’s partnership with This Way Up. She was one of the first to engage with Canberra Head to Health’s hybrid approach to incorporating e-therapies concurrent with individual sessions, providing support and guidance to fully engage in the e-therapy program, as an adjunct to more traditional treatment.
During Julia’s time at Canberra Head to Health, she was also provided with a referral and assistance to engage with a private psychiatrist, who she has continued to see for medication review and management.
At the completion of Julie’s care with Canberra Head to Health, she reported a significant reduction in her OCD and depressive symptoms. Overall, she reported feeling happier, with improvement in her day-to-day functioning. She no longer had suicidal ideation and was future orientated. She also noted that prior to engagement with the Centre she had several barriers to treatment, including financial difficulties. Both Julia and her husband (who attended sessions with Julia as support) reported satisfaction and gratitude for the service they received from Canberra Head to Health.
Digital health solution for Head to Health
Within a short period of time, CHN together with the Head to Health provider were required to identify an innovative digital health solution to support the coordination of care. CHN supported Think Mental Health in identifying their digital health needs and selecting the appropriate digital health provider. Think Mental Health selected a single platform that provides both the patient information and remote patient monitoring system and IAR decision support tool. This bespoke, secure digital health platform supports service navigation and communication between multidisciplinary care teams, improves internal workflow and clinical delivery and improves patient reach, communication, engagement, and health outcomes.
