Socrates has become aware of the fact that the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice appears to have changed is view on the value of the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP) which is a Medicare Australia funded program designed to help persons with a severe mental illness receive the care coordination that would allow them to remain at home and out of hospital. It would seem to any reasonable person that this would be a useful initiative for the person with the mental illness, their carers or family members, and for the hospital services.
The MHNIP operates from general practitioners, general practices, private psychiatrists, Divisions of General Practice and from Aboriginal Medical Services who have registered with Medicare Australia as an "eligible organisation". The registration is simple enough and the Medicare Australia will even offer financial incentives to the "eligible organisations" to establish the MHNIP in the community.
Now, in Australia there are about 800 credentialed mental health nurses (CMHNs) able to to provide these services to patients through the "eligible organisations". Fortunately, as Socrates has discovered, there are 3 qualified CMHNs in the Southern Highlands, yet only one is being used by any of the eligible organisations here to provide any sort of service to patients of the practices in the Southern Highlands. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that the one CMHN being used was once an employee of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice. Socrates, has recently discovered that patients who have been referred to that one CMHN have been told by them that they are unable to provide any additional people with the MHNIP services. Obviously (or hopefully), that information has been passed on to the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice so that they can pass that information on to their members.
Perhaps it is also a coincidence only, that the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice in 2008-09 employed a mental health nurse/psychologist to provide the MHNIP services to their member general practitioners. The aspiring nurse, who was seeking credentialing, was unable to obtain this requisite by the January 2010 deadline so the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice was unable to continue the MHNIP program. However, it would seem that they did continue to employ the nurse because they were also a psychologist and now they offer a "Better Access" counselling service in competition to those psychologists and social workers in private practice.
Now, as far as Socrates is aware, the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice is still an "eligible organisation" or could easily become one again. However, the Division has made no attempt to engage or contract the other CMHNs in the Southern Highlands nor does it appear to have been advocating to their general practice members that they take up this initiative for the benefit of their patients. One could easily draw a conclusion that the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice is taking the view that if they can't retain or employ a CMHN of their choice, then no-one else should be able.
Strangely, any recent information about the MHNIP which was originally publicly provided by the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice to all, through their "Highlands Doctor" newsletter on their website, was suddenly transferred to the login section of their website for member GPs only. One can only deduce what the general practitioners are being told by the Division's Executive Officer.
Socrates has been told of one patient who is seeking access to the MHNIP because they have a number of severe mental health conditions that they have been unable to get any sense out of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice. It is most likely that there are many such people who have been struggling with a severe mental illness but are now being denied a potentially excellent service. Socrates has noted that the Network which advocates for Divisions of General Practice is very supportive of the MHNIP initiative and there is ample proof that it is a win-win situation for all.
So the question needs to be asked: Why does the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice not advocate with its members to implement this Medicare funded initiative for patients with severe mental illnesses? Surely, the Southern Highlands has it's share of people afflicted with such mental illnesses? Why does the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice not use its "eligible organisation" status to employ, contract or retain our other CMHNs? And what was so secret about the Division's advice to its general practice members that they felt the need to place that information in the login section of their website. If it is simply the same information that they have freely published in their past issues of the "Highlands Doctor" newsletter why was there a need to place the information in their website which is not accessible to members of the public.
Socrates has previously commented on the MHNIP as an ideal initiative for persons with mental illness and for their carers. Perhaps it is now time for those members of the public to challenge the secretive behaviour of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice and its Executive.
