Mental health system not working for anyone

Doctors, patients and allied health all suffer in an underfunded and fragmented mental health system, the AMA says.

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The AMA has called out the “increasingly difficult” mental healthcare system in Australia, with a new position statement on mental health and wellbeing alleging that it fails the community’s most vulnerable members.  

Speaking to media ahead of the Health Ministers’ Meeting on Friday, AMA president Dr Danielle McMullen said all levels of the government and NGO sector needed to work together to meet the needs of patients.  

Her key asks were that Medicare support GPs to deliver longer consultations and that rebates be fixed patients no longer receive a lower rebate for mental health consults than they would for a physical health consult.  

“The health ministers have a big agenda,” Dr McMullen said.  

“There’s lots to cover in terms of improving our health system as a whole, but they can’t afford to forget the most vulnerable in our community and those who are struggling with mental illness, and I really implore upon them to invest in mental health and make some strong recommendations about how we’re going to improve the mental health sector.”  

While Labor have yet to reveal health policy ahead of the 2025 election, which is tipped to take place in May, the Liberal National Party have committed to permanently raising the number of Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions under the Better Access scheme from 10 to 20. 

The Greens, meanwhile, have pledged to push for unlimited subsidised psychological sessions and to increase the rebate available under Better Access to $150. 

Neither of these proposals would address the issue of workforce shortage plaguing the system. 

“Mental healthcare is already chronically underfunded, but severe workforce shortages and inadequate staffing, the complexity of presentations, and increasing patient loads are further contributing to a system reaching breaking point,” Dr McMullen said.  

“It is vital the key areas of the mental health workforce, including psychiatry and general practice, are adequately resourced and structured to be able to provide the best possible care for people who desperately need help.”  

The AMA position statement called for a system that is patient centred, needs based, informed by evidence and has adequate investment but also sustained funding.  

Its proposals included reducing the number of clinicians needed for multidisciplinary case conferences from three to two, streamlining the mechanism for authorising access to additional sessions of psychological therapy for people with severe or complex disorders and remunerating specialists for providing GP guidance.  

“For severe, complex and chronic conditions, GPs should be able to seek advice from psychiatrists, psychologists, paediatricians, or other medical specialists when and where needed to initiate therapy, as referrals to these non-GP specialists are associated with delays in management of severe cases,” the association said.  

The AMA also “noted” the trend in funding toward digital health platforms and away from existing mental health service delivery models, which it said had the potential to create more fragmentation.