SALLY BRYANT, HOST: Now, we're hearing that a new national early intervention service called Medicare Mental Health Check In has just been established. And joining me this morning to explain how it works is Emma McBride. She's Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and also wears the hat of Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health.
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ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Across Australia and around the world, we're seeing an increase in psychological distress. So with Australia, that's increased over the last 15 years. And what inquiries and reports have recommended is support sooner or earlier intervention. And that's what's led to the development of Medicare Mental Health Check In, our first national early intervention service, open to all Australians over the age of 16 to get support sooner.
BRYANT: So how do people go about accessing this sort of support?
MCBRIDE: By design, it's intended to remove any barriers that people might have had to accessing support. So they don't need a diagnosis. They don't need to wait for a referral. And it's all completely free and backed by Medicare. So someone can call 1800-595-212 where they'll have a brief assessment over the phone and be connected with the support that's right for them. And the Medicare Mental Health Check In importantly is evidence-based and quality, provided by experienced mental health practitioners, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, so someone can have confidence that they'll be getting the right kind of that is tailored to their needs.
BRYANT: So is this support going to be available face-to-face once they actually get an indication of what's going to best serve their needs?
MCBRIDE: So with Medicare Mental Health Centres, if it is that the person does require face-to-face, then they'll be able to, for example, in your community, to go to the Wagga Wagga Medicare Mental Health Centre, which since it opened has seen more than 14,000 occasions of care. If Check In, the digital service via video or phone, is what's most appropriate to them, they'll be sent an email where they'll be able to book an appointment. And those appointments will be available from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and 10:00 to 4:00 weekends and public holidays to give the most opportunity for people who need that early support the access to get it as quickly as they can.
BRYANT: I have a sense that certainly in some regions, particularly given the current news cycle, we're going to see quite a big demand on this service. Are you confident that you're going to have the staff in place, particularly in regional areas like this, to be able to meet the needs of the community?
MCBRIDE: This service is in partnership with St Vincent's Health Australia, one of the leading experts not just in Australia but globally of digital mental health, and they are recruiting up to more than 100- I think 150 staff to be able to provide this service right across the country. So if someone is calling from Wagga or calling from Griffith or calling from, you know, a remote part of Australia, they'll be able to call 1800-595-212 and be connected with a service that is right for them. And having grown up in a regional community myself and seeing that access was often just simply out of reach, I know that Medicare Mental Health Check In provide that support to people sooner. And it's designed for people who are experiencing feeling by work or feeling- you know, a breakdown in a relationship or a bereavement, and all of those things can lead to distress. And we know that the sooner that people receive support that the more likely they are to recover, and the less the impact of that event will have on them and their lives.
BRYANT: So just at the moment, in many regions around New South Wales, particularly here in the Riverina, we've seen some very difficult seasonal conditions which have had a pretty dramatic impact, not only on people in primary industry, but on people who work in other industries that rely very heavily on primary industry. And also, this service is designed for people over the age of 16 years and we know that there are youth services in place that are designed to deal with those sorts of needs. Is this service going to be working cooperatively with other mental health providers already working in these regions?
MCBRIDE: Yes. As you will be aware, we have the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement and bilaterals with each state and territory. And our intention is to make sure that services are better integrated. and this service is integrated by design. So if someone did need to be escalated to another service or to be warmly handed over to something that better suits their needs, then that would happen because we want to make sure that someone doesn't have to retell their story, that they can get the help they need sooner and it's tailored to their needs.
BRYANT: Yeah. Emma McBride, how quickly do you expect to see an uptake of the service that has been launched at the beginning of April?
MCBRIDE: Well, we saw when the website that was launched on 1 January, that there's been more than 30,000 visits to the website. Before this new free therapy was launched on 30 March, we already had 600 Australians who had created accounts to access the service. I'm really pleased to see that early uptake because we know that there is a large and growing need in the community, and if people can receive support sooner, that gives them the best chance to be able to live thriving lives.
BRYANT: So what would you say to someone who's listening to this and thinking this could meet a need, this could be something that could make the difference for them? Where would you recommend they go to for further information?
MCBRIDE: Yeah, I would encourage somebody, if they're seeking information for themselves, to go to call 1800-595-212. That's Medicare Mental Health, which is available 8:30 to 5 o'clock, Monday to Friday. They can also jump online and check out Medicare Mental Health and see the range of different services that might be available to them. It might be a Kids Hub if they've got a child aged under 12. It might be headspace, and for example, the headspace at Wagga Wagga, which I'm pleased to share with your listeners, is going to be one of the first 30 upgraded to a headspace Plus. So I would encourage people to look on Medicare Mental Health, to call the phone line and to take that first step and know that they're going to be met with somebody who is trained, who is experienced and will receive compassionate care that is designed particularly to meet them and their needs.
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BRYANT: That's Emma McBride. She is the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and also Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health.