Article based on story that first appeared in The Health Advocate, May 2023

Canberra Head to Health is a valuable resource for adults in the ACT suffering from mental health issues. The centre provides free mental health support through a team of qualified psychologists, mental health workers, and social workers. What's great about this service is that it doesn't require any appointments or referrals, making it accessible to anyone who requires support.

This essential service was commissioned by Capital Health Network, the ACT's Primary Health Network, and developed by Think Mental Health. The goal was to identify an innovative digital health solution to support the coordination of care for the service users.

After considerable research and analysis, Think Mental Health selected CareMonitor's remote patient monitoring system and Initial Assessment Referral Decision Support Tool. This bespoke, secure digital health platform streamlines service navigation and communication between multidisciplinary care teams. Through improving workflow, clinical delivery, patient outreach, communication, engagement, and health outcomes, it has significantly enhanced the quality of the service.

The platform offers a standardised intake assessment, which allows care teams to obtain in-depth knowledge about a patient's needs and preferences, and it connects service users to the best resources and services necessary to tackle their unique challenges, circumstances and needs.

Digitally Actuated Guidance and Support

Think Mental Health’s Clinical Psychologist and Director, Jason McCrae, said they needed a digital health platform to help patients and providers engage with the mental health ‘system’ through one digital health platform.

“People experiencing mental health issues are often faced with many barriers to connecting with effective treatment, like long wait lists, difficulty attending in-person appointments, and repeating their story with each new clinician.

By utilising CareMonitor as a common platform, we’re making it easier for a patient to connect with multiple providers, find the ‘right’ clinician for them and minimise the chances of barriers halting their patient journey,’ said Mr McCrae.

Success Through Swift Implementation

The new Canberra Head to Health platform empowers patients to access resources and care in their own time, and when they need it most.

‘The rapid implementation of the brand-new assessment and model of care with complex and comprehensive governmental reporting requirements in a very short time frame has been a success. CareMonitor has also helped reduce patient dropouts, connect and navigate them to mental health services and providers, and assisted patients who had ‘slipped through the cracks’ to reconnect with the right mental health services for them’, said Mr. McCrae.

Unlocking the Power of Virtual Care: Improving Patient Outcomes

Virtual care, as highlighted by Deepak Biswal, founder and CEO of CareMonitor, has rapidly emerged as an invaluable tool for accessing healthcare services. This contemporary approach offers individuals numerous benefits, including self-management, enhanced privacy, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. To optimize results, it is vital that such treatment aligns with the specific needs of both patients and clinicians.

The outstanding success of the Head to Health program, with a remarkable reduction in patient dropouts and a significant uptake, underscores the transformative potential of easily accessible blended care encompassing both virtual and face-to-face interactions. This effective approach truly empowers patients in effectively managing their mental health, as affirmed by Mr. Biswal.

Supported by funding from the ACT PHN through the Australian Government's PHN program, Canberra Head to Health is leading the charge in revolutionizing the healthcare landscape and improving patient outcomes through cutting-edge virtual care solutions.

Transformative Mental Health Journey: Tim's Success Story with Think Mental Health & CareMonitor through Head to Health

Patient Case Study:

In his pursuit of quality mental healthcare, Tim (name changed) reached out to our Head to Health Centre via their webpage. The team promptly responded, providing Tim with an Intake Assessment and Referral clinical interview through CareMonitor's platform.

Despite previous difficulties seeking help, Tim leveraged CareMonitor's user-friendly telehealth features for his appointment and completed psychological assessments online. Following a thorough triage by our experienced Think Mental Health clinicians, Tim received a comprehensive resource pack via the digital platform. This included trauma-informed cognitive-behavioural therapy and exposure-based therapy. In addition, he was referred to 'This Way Up,' an internet-based cognitive-behavioural program addressing obsessive and compulsive symptoms. Tim's progress was supported by concurrent sessions at Head to Health and connected care with a community psychiatrist for a comprehensive psychiatric assessment.

Through the powerful synergy of the CareMonitor digital platform and Think Mental Health's clinical expertise, Tim triumphed over barriers, gaining access to high-quality mental healthcare both digitally and in-person, courtesy of a multidisciplinary care team.

Tim experienced remarkable strides in his recovery from depression while effectively managing symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.