Important PSS changes starting 1 July 2021

5 July 2021

We recently engaged in consultation with our PSS consortium service providers, CESPHN Clinical Council and the CESPHN Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Group to review the current workforce challenges facing the PSS program and develop strategies to address these challenges. A few recommendations were made and supported in these consultations, resulting in the following changes to PSS effective 1 July 2021:

Care coordination sessions for children 0-12 years now available

Two care coordination sessions for children 0-12 years are available to PSS mental health practitioners to:

• work within the system and holistically across the dimensions of the individual’s experiences including phone calls to family members, child and adolescent MH services, Medical Practitioners and other providers involved in the individual’s care.
• work with other community and social services to support an individual’s mental health, including education, housing, other local community services, justice, and family violence services.
• improve coordination between services to ensure appropriate referrals are made including between child and adolescent specific care services, and Medical Practitioners.

GP review process has been streamlined

PSS clients are no longer required to return to their GPs for a review after session 6. Clients are still required to obtain GP MHTP to access PSS, and will require a GP review following session 12, for further approval for sessions 13-18 (under exceptional circumstances).

As part of this change, it is mandatory that the PSS mental health practitioners communicate via letter to the GP/referrer following session 6, to ensure the GP/referrer is kept abreast of treatment progress and ongoing mental health issues. The GP can contact their patient to arrange a review appointment, should the GP feel that this is required based on the information provided in the letter. Further treatment sessions (7-12) will not be released by CESPHN until evidence of GP communication has been provided by the PSS mental health practitioner. There is nil change to the GP review process at Session 12.

If you have any query about these changes, please contact the CESPHN Mental Health Intake and Triage team on 1300 170 554.

Our PSS brochure and PSS referrers guide can be found on the CESPHN website or via the links below:

PSS brochure   or  Referrers guide