Message from the Chair

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

As we enter the 2020–22 triennium, I would like to take this opportunity to express our renewed commitment to continually improving Australia’s primary mental health system.

The GPMHSC looks forward to working with stakeholders during the next three years, advocating on behalf of GPs who have a vested interest in primary mental healthcare. Key to this commitment is the response to the recommendations from the Productivity Commission Draft Report on Mental Health, submitted in late January this year.

The GPMHSC would like to acknowledge the resilient communities and people impacted by the current bushfire emergency. Bushfires affect more than the physical environment and can have a serious impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people and their communities. It is also important for GPs to look after their own health and wellbeing, and learn to identify how to cope when overwhelmed by the traumatic experiences of others. More information on self-care for GPs during disasters is available in this e-newsletter.

I would also like to remind all training providers that the 2020 GPMHSC Committee meeting dates are now available. This is an excellent opportunity to develop new mental health training activities for the next three years. The inclusion of lived experience from both mental health consumers and carers is an integral component of GPMHSC-accredited training. Additional resources on how to incorporate consumer and carer representatives into mental health training is available in this e-newsletter.

Assoc Prof Morton Rawlin

Chair, GPMHSC