Access to Allied Psychological Services

The Pilbara Health Network provides psychological services through the Federal Government’s Better Access Program.  Currently the service is provided to the communities of Karratha Wickham, Roebourne and Dampier and operates from Pilbara Health Network offices in Karratha and Mawarnkarra Health Service, Roebourne.  Additional psychological services will be rolled out more widely across the Pilbara in 2010, including the communities of Onslow, Tom Price and Newman.  The service is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) and is free to patients referred by their GPs. 

GPs can refer to an Access to Allied Psychological Services Psychologist via a Mental Health Assessment and Treatment Care Plan (MBS Item 2710 for GPs who have undertaken Level 1 Mental Health Training or MBS Item 2702 for GPs who have not yet completed this training). An online version of a Mental Health Assessment and Treatment Care Plan is available at General Practices in the region.  Referrals will only be accepted from registered GPs and can be sent directly to Pilbara Health Network through MMEx, an encrypted confidential email service.

Patients referred via a Mental Health Assessment and Treatment Care Plan can access up to six sessions with the psychologist or other mental health practitioner.  The GP may recommend a further 6 sessions on review, providing a maximum of 12 sessions per patient to address their mental health issue.  Only one Mental Health Assessment and Treatment Care Plan can be completed for any one patient in a one year period. 

Individuals who are aged 12 years and older who will benefit from short term therapy to resolve issues that impact their functioning or well-being are eligible to be referred.

Patients who require crisis care or who are suffering acute or chronic mental illness will be better served by continuing to access inpatient or outpatient mental health clinics where they can obtain psychiatric and mental health nursing care.