General Practitioners and Mental Health treatment

As much as possible, the Bowral Mental Health Service will prefer to work with general practitioners and other medical specialists in delivering the mental health treatments provided to their patients. Most patients would agree that they would prefer to have treatments for mental illnesses or disorders provided by their own general practitioner whenever possible. As treatment for mental illness is a specialised field the Bowral Mental Health Service is happy to collaborate with general practitioners in the care planning for their patients. This collaboration also extends to the consultancy service provided by the Visiting Psychiatrists and Registrar through the Bowral Mental Health team. The community has been fortunate over the past few years to have had the "Teams of Two" program conducted in the Southern Highlands. In this program the Bowral Mental Health Service and the General Practitioners and other clinicians in the private sector are able to meet, discuss any issues associated with working together, listen to guest speakers about trends and treatments for various disorders and illnesses, and network to develop strong ties and working relationships between practitioners. As well, the Bowral Mental Health Service has ongoing contact with the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice at regular meetings with the health service and hospital. These meetings have ensured that any emerging problems are identified and dealt with in order to ensure that the continuity and transition of care between the health service and the patient's treating GP is managed efficiently and effectively so that the best outcome is achieved for the patient and their family or primary carer. There is no doubt that, in the work of the Bowral Mental Health Service, it is committed to ensuring that wherever possible the patient and their general practitioner take the lead role in managing the care and treatment of the patient's mental illness or disorder. Similarly, patients who have an identified private psychiatrist can be certain that the Bowral Mental Health team would prefer that the patient maintains that therapeutic relationship with their private psychiatrist or therapist. Nonetheless, should circumstances change and the patient wishes to engage with the Visiting Psychiatrists or Registrar of the Bowral Mental Health Service, they will be given every opportunity to make that change. With private psychiatrists, general practitioners and private therapists there is often the need to exchange information to maintain optimal treatment and care, and provide a best practice model of care to the patient. This may require the Service to ask the patient to authorise the release of information to and from the private practitioner. This collaborative partnership enables the Mental Health Service to provide to patients the least restrictive option of treatment and care for them. Similarly, the view is taken that, if the patient can be treated while remaining in their community it is preferable than being admitted and treated in an inpatient unit some distance from where they (or their families and carers) may reside. Given the extensive working knowledge and clinical skills of the General Practitioners in the Southern Highlands it is now most likely that patients with mental illnesses and disorders can be effectively treated at general practices with some support provided, if necessary, by the Bowral Mental Health Service.