Medicare Mental Health Centres

About the centres

The Australian Government is working in partnership with states and territories to establish Medicare Mental Health Centres across Australia. The centres provide a safe and welcoming place for anyone to access free, quality mental health care over extended hours.

The Medicare Mental Health Centres are staffed by a team of highly qualified mental health professionals and people with lived experience of mental health. They will listen and work with you to provide you with the care you need.

Support through the centres is free. You do not need a Medicare card, appointment or a GP referral.

The National Service Model outlines the scope of services the centres will offer.

Why are they important

The centres provide free, immediate, short and medium-term care to anyone. They aim to make it easier for anyone living in Australia to access equitable, free, and quality mental health support closer to home.

Centres will help connect you with other services to support you into the future, from health to mental health, and social supports like housing and employment. 

Find out more about how we are improving access to mental health services and support.

Who can access

Anyone can access Medicare Mental Health Centres even if you have never reached out for mental health support before. You don’t need a Medicare card to access these services. 

How to access

You can walk into any centre for free mental health support. 

When you arrive, a trained professional will take the time to talk to you to understand your immediate needs. They may also make an appointment for you to visit again.

You can also call 1800 595 212 for information about local mental health supports or to book an appointment with your nearest centre.

Who we work with

We are working with state and territory governments and Primary Health Networks to establish 61 centres across the country by mid-2026. The centres will build on the existing Head to Health network.

Find your nearest centre

Learn more about available services in Victoria. 

Resources

Transcript

0:00
A Medicare mental health centre is a safe, warm, welcoming place where people can come and get free support for mental health problems and if they're in distress or feeling overwhelmed.

0:12
They were established to provide easier access for people to get the support that they need when they need it.

0:17
Anybody can access services at Medicare mental health centres.

0:22
You do not need a Medicare card, you do not need a doctor's referral.

0:26
You can walk in off the street to see somebody or you can make an appointment.

0:31
The centres were established to create a space for all to come into the centre, including their carers and family members, where people are accepted for who they are and they listen to in a non-judgemental way.

0:44
There are clinicians who can do therapy and there's lived experienced peer workers.

0:49
So there's a variety of backgrounds, a variety of qualifications and a lot of personal experience that people bring to their professional role.

0:59
Medicare mental health centres can provide a one to one, one off support or they can also provide an ongoing level of support.

1:08
These centres are a really great opportunity to really show that mental health is just as important as physical health. And just by making such an easy process, you walk in, you see someone, you see a friendly face and you feel welcome and that can only be a good thing right?

1:26
There is no shame in getting support.

1:29
Most people during their life will have a situation where they do need support.

1:34
People come in and they see, they see that it's easily accessible, they see that it's, you know, confidential and it really helps.

1:42
The feedback that we've been getting from people who've attended the centres are that they feel they feel safe, they feel welcomed and they feel heard and they've got sometimes for the first time, they feel some real hope.

1:55
To find your closest Medicare mental health centre, visit health.gov.au or call 1800 595 212.

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