Message from the Chair

Revised templates for mental health care plans

I’m pleased to announce the revised templates for the GP Mental Health Treatment Plans (MHTPs) are now available to download. The updated templates reflect changes in contemporary approaches to mental health assessment and treatment planning, including changes to help you improve the quality of your patient record-keeping. The templates are available in Word and PDF versions. The PDF templates include interactive prompts for GPs who need an easily accessible reminder on what to ask patients while completing their mental health care plan.

I encourage you all to visit our website to learn more about the revisions to the templates.

GPMHSC educational sessions at GP20

As you may be aware, GP20 is going fully digital this year. The GPMHSC will present a live discussion on Thursday 26 November on the benefits of becoming a registered GP provider of Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS).

In addition, we’ll hold a 30-minute educational session on the revised mental health care plan templates and their use in general practice. The session will be presented by myself and Mrs Heather Nowak, the consumer representative for the GPMHSC. You can watch the on-demand session at a time that suits you from Monday 23 November 2020 and for 12 months after GP20 finishes.

Register for GP20 today.

COVID-19 and mental health

As we head towards the end of the year, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you all to look after your own mental health and wellbeing. Many of us, not just our patients, might be experiencing additional stress and anxiety due to the impact of COVID-19 this year and during end-of-year activities. It may be a tough time for many of us and our families, so it’s important to recognise emotional triggers and know where to turn to if you need help. You can visit the DRS4DRS website to access self-care support services for GPs and find a range of COVID-19 resources, factsheets and guidelines on our website.

The GPMHSC looks forward to working with you in 2021 to help improve the mental health and wellbeing of your communities.

Associate Professor Morton Rawlin
Chair, GPMHSC