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New money for mental health: will it make things better for rural and remote Australia?
Author(s) -
Dunbar James A,
Hickie Ian B,
Wakerman John,
Reddy Prasuna
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01060.x
Subject(s) - mental health , incentive , government (linguistics) , workforce , nursing , rural health , unintended consequences , rural area , medicine , business , public relations , economic growth , political science , psychiatry , linguistics , philosophy , pathology , law , economics , microeconomics
New Australian government funding for the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative is a significant step forward for mental health, with general practitioners now able to offer direct referrals to psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and Aboriginal health workers. Incentives for better teamwork between GPs and other mental health professionals have been introduced, but may have unintended consequences, including an exacerbation of workforce shortages in rural and remote areas. Possible solutions to these shortages include rural scholarships for students in the mental health professions; recruitment and retention of students coordinated by university departments of rural health; better access to continuing professional development; and federally funded rural positions and additional financial incentives for rural mental health practitioners.