Murray PHN

Murray PHN has commissioned APMHA HealthCare Ltd. to deliver mental health services in line with the Stepped Mental Health Model of Care.

Catchments: Goulburn Valley Regions: Greater Shepparton, Strathbogie, Murrindindi and Mitchell Shires. North East Regions: Albury/Wodonga, Alpine, Wangaratta, Benalla, Mansfield and Indigo Shires

We deliver: Central Intake, Triage and Allocations

We have: 37 employees and subcontractors working in this region

For this financial year, we have triaged 1798 individuals needing mental health support and we have delivered 8764 sessions.

Psychological Therapy Services (PTS) – Mild-Moderate care stream

PTS provides free short term face-to-face or Telehealth psychological services to eligible clients who have been identified as under-serviced and/or hard to reach. This includes support for drought or bushfire affected communities.

This service targets:

• Low need: mild presentations (high prevalent disorders): requiring brief short term psychological interventions. These can be provided face to face, phone or video platforms and are delivered by accredited clinicians contracted through APMHA.
• Moderate need: moderate presentations (high prevalent disorders): requiring medium term psychological interventions. These can be provided face to face, phone or video and are delivered by Psychologists, Mental Health Social Workers, Credentialed Mental Health Nurses and Mental Health Occupational Therapists.

Our specialist PTS streams include:

• Children’s Mental Health (o-13 yo)
• General Services (14yo+)
• Older Persons (65yo+) in residential aged care facilities
• Suicide Preventon Services (low risk intensive support)

Primary Mental Health Clinical Care Coordination (CCC) – Moderate-complex care stream

PMHCCC provides free therapeutic interventions and coordination of clinical services for eligible clients with severe and persistent mental illness.

This service targets:

• Moderate episodic disorders (low prevalent disorders): requiring assertive support with a team approach for up to 12 months. Delivered by Credentialed Mental Health Nurses.
• Complex, enduring and severe (low prevalent disorders): requiring longer term assertive support with a team approach for up to 24 months. Delivered by Credentialed Mental Health Nurses.

Older Minds Mental Health Program for RACFs

The Older Minds Mental Health Program is a regional outreach service to RACFs in Goulburn Valley and North East. APMHA HealthCare has been commissioned to provide Psychological Therapy Services (PTS) to support the mental health needs of people living in RACFs.

This service allows residents of registered RACFs to access mental health services available to those in the community. Delivered by Psychologists, Mental Health Social Workers, Credentialed Mental Health Nurses and Mental Health Occupational Therapists.

This service also provides mental health training for aged care facility staff to enable timely identification of psychological distress in residents and appropriate referral.

HeadToHelp

HeadtoHelp is a free service for any Victorian who may be experiencing distress or mental ill health. This includes people who have never accessed mental health services before and their family and friends. It also is for family and friends of those in aged care.

There are 20 HeadtoHelp hubs across the state. In the Murray PHN region there are four sites with APMHA delivering supports to the Shepparton region (located at 3A Nixon St, Shepparton, 3630) with a satellite site in Seymour (located at 54 Tallarook Street, Seymour).

How it works:

When you call HeadtoHelp on 1800 595 212, an experienced mental health professional will listen and work with you to find the best ways to get you the help you need. Depending on the assistance you need, HeadtoHelp may connect you with online support or an existing mental health service. This could include a GP (as it’s really important that your mental and physical health are looked after together), or other health or support service to get you back on track.

Your mental and physical wellbeing are linked, so the best way to improve your mental health is with a team-based approach that includes your GP. HeadtoHelp’s multidisciplinary team has GPs and mental health workers, including psychologists, mental health nurses, social workers and alcohol and drug workers, who can support you through telehealth, or onsite at a service. We can also help with the other essentials of life such as housing, work, education and training.

Bushfire Response

The 2019-2020 Bushfires which heavily impacted NSW & Victoria will be etched in our memories forever.

The 2019–20 Eastern Victorian bushfires were significant. Lives were lost, thousands were displaced, and numerous communities were temporarily isolated. The bushfires were unlike any previous fire events because they burned over many months and occurred alongside bushfires across the eastern seaboard and other parts of Australia. For those who had just commeroted the 10th anniversary of the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires, there was re-triggering and increased fear.

In the North East region of Victoria, the 30th December will be a date we remember – the bushfires resulted in far-reaching devastation for local people, communities, ecosystems, businesses and infrastructure. The LGAs affected were Towong, Alpine, Wangaratta, Mansfield, Indigo and Wodonga.

On the 6th of January, APMHA Executive Team met to discuss how we can support local communities and provide much needed assistance. That week, many meetings were held with key stakeholders to prepare a joint collaborative response.

Friday the 10th January – APMHA opened their dedicated 1300 line and quickly created collateral with key phone numbers and links to support.

This was heavily promoted throughout the bushfire region of NE Vic and through BRV website and PHN Basecamp. The 1300 enabled local residents to have quick access to psychological support through allocation by the APMHA intake team.

A provisional referral pathway was established for identified vulnerable persons, to enable in-reach and home visit to conduct mental health wellbeing checks.

A dedicated website landing page was established on APMHAs website to further support residents and community members. It provided resources, links and contact numbers for critical support services.

We commenced direct in-reach to impacted communities on the 13th of January.

What we delivered

• Centralised intake, triage and assessment line
• Debriefing and psychological team support for organisations
• Vulnerable persons notification service – so we can follow up on people who would like a check up or  home visit
• APMHA also attended a variety of community meetings, recovery centres etc and distributed support materials to over 350 people.
• Delivery of psychological Therapy Services for community members
• We rapidly expanded our workforce to account for the increase in counselling sessions and demand
• Total of 190 clients accessed Bushfire support through the 1300 number established within one week of bushfires.
•  Total of 1045 service contacts were delivered over the funding period by 19 practitioners, delivering services face to face and via telehealth
• Client locations included Alpine Shire, Indigo, Wodonga, Albury, Mansfield, Murrindindi, Wangaratta, Shepparton, Towong, East Gippsland.

APMHA commenced work on an interactive service directory website– which received funding successfully through BRV. This is currently being developed and should go live in Oct 2021.

NavSpace funded by Bushfire Recovery Victoria

NavSpace is an online guide to mental health and wellbeing support services in the North East region of Victoria. This website has been developed to support ongoing community recovery and service response particularly relating to local disasters and COVID-19.

NavSpace is also a Webapp that you can save to your phone and take with you wherever you go!

Visit Navspace

Alaya House and GP Services

Alaya House is the name of our new wellbeing hubs. Where we have created a welcoming, safe and supportive space for community members of all ages, who require specialised support for mental health issues, drug and alcohol issues, and psycho-social disability.

In 2019,  APMHA HealthCare realised our dream to establish our first mental health wellbeing hub located in Shepparton, Victoria. Our aim was to create a hub which focuses on wellness, recovery and supporting people to live a full and contributing life as determined by them. Through this established hub, we have created a physical presence in the region and a holistic team approach with our various funded local mental health services and workforce. In 2021, we opened our second hub in Footscray, Melbourne.

Alaya House Shepparton

Our Shepparton hub includes:

• High quality mental health services (Psychological Therapy Services (PTS), Clinical Care Coordination (PMHCC), HeadtoHelp Program, NavLife Bupa Program and Medicare billing services).
• General Practice services
• Group therapy and psychosocial education programs for clients.
• Workforce and community education and training delivered through our training room.

Alaya House Footscray

Our Footscray hub includes:

• Private mental health services (NavLife Bupa Program and Medicare billing services).
• Group and Play therapy for clients.
• APMHA’s Central Intake and Allocations Team
• APMHA’s Executive Offices and Headquarters.

General Practitioner Services at Alaya House Shepparton

Alaya House Shepparton offers a variety of support services including a GP Clinic every Tuesday.

Our friendly and caring attending GP, Dr Michael Moon provides support in:

• Pharmacotherapy
• Mental Health
• General Medicine

Central and Eastern Sydney PHN

Central and Eastern Sydney PHN has commissioned APMHA HealthCare Ltd. to deliver the Psychological Support Service (PSS). This service is available throughout the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN region and aligns with a stepped, needs-based primary health care approach, also known as a Stepped Mental Health Model of Care.

Catchment: Clients who live, work, go to school, or see their GP in the Central and Eastern Sydney region

We: Allocate client referrals based on their needs, catchment area and preferences

We have: 61 Subcontracted providers working in this region

For this financial year, we have triaged 2256 individuals needing mental health support and we have delivered 8268 sessions.

Psychological Support Services (PSS)

PSS provides free short term face-to-face, or via telehealth, psychological services to populations who have been identified as underserviced and/or hard to reach. Clients are provided with face to face support and are delivered by Psychologists, Mental Health Social Workers, Credentialed Mental Health Nurses and Mental Health Occupational Therapists.

This service targets people experiencing Mild to Moderate mental health concerns, who may benefit from short term treatment. This service includes provisional pathways, allowing clients to access services before they get assessed by their General Practitioner.

Our specialist PSS streams include:

• Children’s Mental Health (o-13 yo)
• Youth Services (14-25 yo)
• Adult Services (25-64 yo)
• Individuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Asexual or Questioning (LGBTIQA+)
• Experiencing perinatal depression and their partners
• From an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background
• From a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) background
• Attempted, or are at risk of suicide or self-harm
• Experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness
• Individual with severe mental health concerns who may benefit from short term focused psychological intervention
• Individuals with mild Intellectual disability who may benefit from short term psychological intervention when other mental health concerns are diagnosed
• 65+ COVID Inreach Support for Isolated Individuals

Positive Workplace Program

Positive Workplace Program – Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Creating mentally healthy workplaces.

At APMHA, we believe your employees are your most valuable asset. These are the people who will ultimately determine the success or failure of your company. Supporting your workforce to be their very best at work is the first step in creating the perfect environment for future growth – individually and as a company.

That is why we have developed the Positive Workplace Program (PWP) – to help Executive Teams to infuse wellbeing into the heart of your organisation. We do this by enabling each and every person to operate at their fullest potential. After all, every problem contains the seed of its own solution – and by empowering people to help themselves, you build a happy, healthy workforce. And when you unlock human potential, powerful business outcomes follow.

Our adaptable program covers resilience-building education and training relating to the importance of healthy eating, positive lifestyle choices and exercise, team-building programs, and comprehensive mental health support services. Together, it becomes a game-changing workplace program shaped to your organisation’s unique wellbeing needs.

Western Victoria PHN

Western Victoria PHN contracted APMHA HealthCare Ltd. to deliver mental health services that align with the National Mental Health Reform. These services are available in the local government areas listed below and focus on a stepped, needs-based primary mental health care approach, also known as a Stepped Mental Health Model of Care.

Catchment: Clients who live in the Western Victoria region.

We: Allocate client referrals based on their needs, catchment area and preferences.

We have: 25 Subcontracted providers working in this region.

For this financial year, we have triaged 698  individuals needing mental health support and we have delivered 3191 sessions.

Psychological Therapy Services (PTS)

PTS provides free short term face-to-face psychological services to eligible clients who have been identified as underserviced and/or hard to reach. This service offers support in the following three categories:

• Category A: General Evidence-based, short-term psychological interventions (up to 10 sessions) for individuals with a diagnosable mild to moderate, mental illness.
• Category B: Children Evidence-based, short-term psychological interventions (up to 10 sessions) for children (up to 12 years of age) with or at risk of developing a mental illness.
• Category C: Suicide Prevention Evidence-based, short-term psychological interventions for people who have attempted, or who are at risk of suicide or self-harm. No formal diagnosis is required. Individuals are entitled to up to 10 sessions over 2 months and are then moved to the most appropriate service stream. Service streams would be considered on a case by case basis and options include Category A, STEPMI Program or Better Access.

Older Minds Mental Health Program for Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF)

The Older Minds Mental Health Program is a regional service, focusing on RACFs in Stawell, Warrnambool, Geelong, and Ballarat. APMHA HealthCare has been commissioned to provide Psychological Therapy Services (PTS) to support the mental health needs of people living in RACFs. Delivered by Psychologists, Mental Health Social Workers, Credentialed Mental Health Nurses and Mental Health Occupational Therapists.

Services and Treatment for Enduring and Persistent Mental Illness

STEPMI prioritises people most in need of coordinated care and ongoing treatment who do not have other appropriate service choices within the existing service system. It was designed in consultation with local stakeholders and replaced the previous Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program. STEPMI offers:

• Clinical care coordination (including multidisciplinary teamwork coordination and follow up)
• Family inclusion and support
• Regular review of progress towards personal goals
• Periodical monitoring of physical and mental state
• Optimised medication planning
• Psychosocial interventions aligned to treatment needs
•  Risk monitoring

South Western Sydney PHN

South Western Sydney PHN has contracted APMHA HealthCare Ltd. to deliver the Credentialed Mental Health Nurse Service. We have partnered with Inshirah – lead by a Nurse Practitioner provider leadership and support to local mental health nurses.

This service is available throughout the South Western Sydney PHN region and aligns with a stepped, needs-based primary health care approach, also known as a Stepped Mental Health Model of Care.

The service commences through APMHA on 1 July 2021, with an establishment period during May & June of 2021.

Catchment: Clients who live in the South Western Sydney region.

We: Allocate client referrals based on their needs, catchment area and preferences.

We have: 7 Subcontracted Credential Mental Health Nurses working in the region

Credentialed Mental Health Service (CMHNS)

CMHNS provides regular client reviews, medication monitoring, physical healthcare information and liaison with carers and relevant mental health support services as required. Patients with an enduring and complex mental illness over a long time period that significantly impacts their social, personal, and work life are eligible for this service.

North West Melbourne PHN – Staff Wellbeing Access Program (SWAP)

In January 2021 APMHA commenced the delivery of the Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) Workforce Mental Health Support Package to June 2021 for the NorthWest Melbourne PHN as a response to the COVID 19 Pandemic. We branded this program – Staff Wellbeing Access Program (SWAP) – with the aim of swapping the wellbeing focus to RACF staff.

The key focus for this program is to provide support to members of the RACF Workforce who have experienced challenging pressures throughout the COVID 19 Pandemic and in particular the impact of the second lockdown in 2020.  The first aim for the team which consists of Renee Hayden, Sharyn Amos and Monique Ataryniw to create a name that would reflect our purpose.  The SWAP name which stands for Staff Wellbeing Access Program has grown from a name to now a responsive service of support, resources and flexibility in service delivery for the RACF in the NWMelbourne PHN area.

A suite of resources and a dedicated SWAP website page was developed throughout February to March 2021. A key component of our service has been to deliver face to face / telehealth support with either a group setting or individual support on site at participating RACFs.

Within 4 weeks of the program being established the SWAP team were able to deliver 3 site visits to 2 RACF’s. The outcome of this program up to June 2021 was the provision of:

• Individual support to RACF staff members who requested assistance.
• RACF site visits to meet with the staff and provide tailored mental health information and showbags.153 staff were involved in these sessions.
• Attendance at RACF staff meetings to introduce the SWAP program via zoom.
• Education Webinars to RACF Staff and Managers.
• Zoom Wellbeing sessions to RACF Staff and Managers.
• Distribution to 89 RACF’s SWAP updates via email re: events, resources, and links to key support services.

The SWAP program has been a challenge to delivery through COVID. We continue to be amazed at the resilience and compassion of this workforce, who soldier on through the Royal Commission, COVID outbreaks and ongoing restrictions and lockdowns.

We have truly learnt the meaning of moral distress – not being able to deliver the care in a way that is natural to us – touch, face to face interactions, hugs and connection.

During this time we have experienced 4 lockdowns and the team has needed to be flexible and adjust the program often thinking outside of the box to maximise reach to each staff member.

We are excited to have received 12 month extended funding to enable us to further support the RACF staff of NWMPHN region.

It has been a privilege and an honour to work with dedicated staff of the RACF community who are currently working extremely hard to ensure that our treasured older persons who helped shape our country are held safe and loved in this current environment.

NavLife Program

Navigating Life (NavLife) is an innovative program designed especially for eligible Bupa members as part of a suite of services under the Bupa Mind Care Choices range. NavLife is provided by APMHA HealthCare Ltd (APMHA) – one of Australia’s most experienced providers of community based mental health support services.

NavLife provides tailored support for people dealing with the day-to-day impacts of mental illness, as well as their families, friends and carers. The program is completely voluntary and is provided at no additional cost to eligible Bupa customers.

How it works

APMHA provides responsive, multidisciplinary, evidence-based care in the community and is focused on helping people on their journey of recovery from mental illness and reducing the need for hospitalisation. If you are an eligible Bupa customer, an APMHA health professional will contact you and provide additional information on the program. By enrolling, Bupa will fund appropriate community mental health treatment provided by APMHA and you can withdraw your participation in the program at any time. Treatments and supports are delivered in different ways, depending on what best suits your situation, including via:

• Outreach (visits at home)
• Clinic appointments
• Telehealth and group activities

APMHA’s multidisciplinary team includes highly experienced Psychologists, Mental Health Occupational Therapists, Mental Health Social Workers, Credentialed Mental Health Nurses, Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, General Practitioner Counsellors and Psychiatrists.

The program is for Victorian Bupa customers  who have experienced an overnight admission to hospital for mental health treatment and support. You must have an active Bupa Hospital policy with full Psychiatric Services Cover to be eligible.