Patients must have greater funding for mental health care from their GP, as reporting in The Australian that quantifies the severe shortfall of mental health support and the failure of Australia’s mental health system makes clear.
This call from the from the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) comes ahead of a soon-to-be-released report that shows an $8 billion shortfall in funding for healthcare including general practice, social services, and housing by immediate past AMA President Professor Steve Robson and ANU head of psychiatry Associate Professor Jeffrey Looi.
The RACGP has long called on the Government to address funding and administrative failures preventing patients from getting the mental health care they need via their local GP specialists including the one in seven children and one in five adults who experienced a mental health disorder in the last year.
The RACGP has called on the Government to boost Australians’ access to mental health care in the next budget by:
- Increasing Medicare rebates for GP mental health consults, and all consults lasting more than 20 minutes, to reduce patients’ costs and improve access to bulk billed general practice mental health care
- Directing specific funding to general practices in disadvantaged areas to supplement the limited Medicare funding available for more complex mental health needs.
- Decoupling GP Focused Psychological Support (FPS) items from the Better Access Initiative.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said Australia’s mental health care system is not meeting the growing needs of GPs’ patients for either chronic or acute care.
“Any GP can tell you we have an epidemic of mental health conditions in Australia. Mental health issues are the top type of presentation among our patients, and we’re usually their first point of contact when they need support,” he said.
“Specialist GPs are on the frontline of mental health care, and provide consistent, accessible care for our patients. Among the 3.4 million Australians who saw a health professional for mental health in 2020 to 2022, 71% consulted with a GP.
“The fact is, we can’t address Australia’s mental health crisis without adequate funding for patients to access general practice. Specialist GPs are ready and able to identify issues early and provide the support our patients need.
“For patients on lower incomes, there’s a severe lack of affordable mental health care, and limited effective community support. Patients frequently can’t access urgent psychiatric care when they need it, and often depend on their GPs for advice and support. In many parts of Australia, and particularly in rural areas, your GP is very often the only medical professional available to provide mental health care.
“Yet despite the need for and value of this work, it’s severely underfunded. Mental health consultations by GPs are funded less than other types of care we deliver, despite these appointments typically taking longer than other consultations.
“Meanwhile, Australia’s shortfall of 10,750 psychiatric inpatient beds leaves too many patients and families with mental health care needs with nowhere to go, even in major regional cities.
“Systemic change is needed. Specialist GPs can help our patients access much of the care they need in the community, and support patients in managing a broad range of mental and physical health needs. The Government must address funding failures preventing patients from getting the mental health care they need via their usual GP.
~ENDS
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