Clinical Care Coordination from a Mental Health Nurse.

Pathways is contracted through North Coast Primary Health Network (NCPHN) to provide clinical Mental Health Nursing Services.

Eligibility for services – Information for GP’s and Psychiatrists:

GPs and Psychiatrists will determine which clients are eligible for Mental Health Nursing services. To be eligible, all of the following criteria must be met:

• The client has been diagnosed with a mental disorder according to the criteria defined in the: – World Health Organisation Diagnostic and Management Guidelines for Mental Health Disorders in Primary Care: ICD 10 Chapter V Primary Care Version, or – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders – Fifth Edition (DSM-5)
• The client’s disorder is significantly impacting their social, personal and work life. Mental health nursing services should target clients with severe mental disorders during periods of significant disability. A client should exit from the mental health nursing services when he or she does not require the level of support outlined in this document.
• The client has been to hospital at least once for treatment of their mental disorder, or they are at risk of needing hospitalisation in the future if appropriate treatment and care is not provided
• The client is expected to need ongoing treatment and management of their mental disorder over the next 2 years
• The client’s GP or Psychiatrist (RMO) will be the main person responsible for the client’s clinical mental health care and
• The client has given permission to receive treatment from a Mental Health Nurse. Client exit criteria
• A client is no longer eligible for Mental Health Nursing services when: ‘their mental disorder no longer causes significant disablement to their social, personal and occupational functioning and they no longer need the clinical services of a mental health nurse’ (NCPHN)

The Mental Health Nurses providing this service are all highly experienced and qualified. All of the specialist Mental Health Nurses providing these services are credentialled with the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing (ACMHN). We specialise in trauma informed care and work hard to engage with all clients.

To make a referral to our clinical care service please first make email contact with us. We will then be able to advise you on our availability and if able will allocate you a MH Nurse. We are not an out of hours service and do not cover weekends – if you feel your client is at risk and it is out of office hours please call the mental health access line below. The Mental Health Line is a 24-hour telephone service operating seven days a week across NSW.

Mental Health Line: 1800 011 511

Following referral to Pathways MH service you and your client receive a full report and recommendations regarding clinical care needs. The MH Nurse may also refer on to other agencies (if permitted by the client). All our client’s are asked to consent to having their details entered into a database called ‘Redicase’ and details of service contacts are made into Redicase after each contact (this is a requirement for services from NCPHN). There is no fee payable for this service but the eligibility above must be strictly adhered to.

It is the expectation of the RMO that they are available for consultation throughout the assessment, implementation and treatment period.