Message from the Chair

Hello from the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC), and welcome to the winter edition of our e-newsletter.

Review of templates for mental health treatment plans

Earlier in the year, the GPMHSC commissioned Monash Southern Synergy to conduct a comprehensive review of the templates used for GP Mental Health Treatment Plans (MHTPs). The purpose of the review was to collate and analyse the latest available evidence on the best practice for mental health assessment and treatment planning in general practice, and to seek advice from stakeholders working in the profession in regard to the usefulness and appropriateness of the current templates.
While the study concluded the purpose and function of the current GP MHTPs remains unchanged, recommendations were provided to update and improve the templates.
 
The GPMHSC will begin work on updating the current GP MHTP templates to incorporate the recommendations included in the final report. This will most likely take some time, however we anticipate to release the first versions of the new templates in the coming months. In the meantime, you can access the current GP MHTP templates by visiting our website.
 
An update on distance learning and mental health training

The past few months have seen a surge of interest in GPs wanting to upskill their mental health training and education. We anticipate more GPs will undertake training to be able to assist with the mental health and wellbeing of their patients. This will be even more important as we enter the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We continue to encourage all our accredited training providers to look at ways to re-develop the delivery of education into formats that align with COVID-19 safe principles. This means offering mental health training via distance learning, including the use of online education. The GPMHSC reaffirms its commitment to working with providers to ensure the impact on GPs’ training and educational opportunities are minimised during this transition. Although we can expect some degree of technological challenges, our commitment to accredit high-quality mental health training and education for all GPs remains our top priority.

You can visit our website to access a list of accredited training and educational activities.

Associate Professor Morton Rawlin
Chair, GPMHSC