The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is welcoming further funding for scholarships for rural and regional GPs in Victoria to undertake mental health skills training to improve access to care.
It comes after Victoria went into a sixth lockdown on the evening of 5 August 2021, after more cases of COVID-19 were detected in the community.
The Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) have agreed to fund an additional 100 scholarships at $100,000 after an overwhelming response from rural GPs to the first offer in February.
All 100 scholarships offered initially have been filled, including 37 GPs in Gippsland, 33 in Murray (north-eastern Victoria) and 28 in Western Victoria.
The scholarships provide full subsidisation for GPs in rural and regional Victoria to undergo the RACGP's Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training, to become Medicare registered Focused Psychological Service providers. GPs who complete the training can go on to provide Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)-derived counselling to patients.
RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Munoz welcomed the additional support.
"The past 12 months have been particularly challenging for Victorians. We are now in our sixth lockdown – lockdowns and restrictions are critical to stop the spread of COVID-19, but they also have a devastating mental health toll," she said.
"GPs have seen demand for mental health care skyrocket across the state.
"Even before the pandemic, mental health was a major concern in Australia – for the past few years it has rated as the most common presentation GPs deal with in the RACGP's annual Health of The Nation survey.
"People are doing it tough all over, but it's especially hard for those in regional and rural communities that don't have access to local mental health services, like counselling or psychiatry.
"That's why this training is so valuable. It's improving access to specialised mental health care for patients in communities where it's needed most.
RACGP Rural Chair Dr Michael Clements said patients often turn to their GP for mental health help.
"People often don't realise that GPs provide the vast majority of mental health care in Australia, but it makes sense – a GP is often the first port of call for patients, and it's magnified in regional and rural communities," he said.
"Rural patients have usually known their GP for a long time, they trust them and see them as a confidant.
"With the scarcity of specialist services in rural and regional Australia, there is huge demand for mental health services from the local GP.
"After floods struck my hometown Townsville, my role suddenly changed from being a GP to a flood counsellor as well. I recognised my patients needed specialised mental health support, and so I did this training myself.
"I encourage GPs in rural and regional Victoria to grab this opportunity and apply for a scholarship – you'll be helping to increase access to high quality mental health care and making a big difference for your patients and whole community."
RWAV CEO Trevor Carr said: "The last 12 months have been particularly challenging for all Victorians. This additional funding will continue to provide training for GPs working in regional Victoria to support their communities. We are pleased to once again partner with RACGP to deliver this innovative training".
A 2018 Senate report detailed the gap in mental health services in rural and remote Australia – in regional areas, the per capita number of psychiatrists, mental health nurses and psychologists in 2015 were, respectively, 36 per cent, 78 per cent and 57 per cent of those in major cities. The situation was even worse in remote areas.
This innovative training program is delivered through a combination of online technology, peer group learning and locally available resources, so GPs can gain new skills while remaining in their practice and community.
The training includes:
· the latest best practice for antidepressant prescribing and non-pharmacology treatment options
· CBT to treat common issues like depression and anxiety
· GP support to begin applying CBT derived FPS counselling to their patients
· mental health carer and consumer perspectives
