Consultation Draft - National Initial Assessment and Referral for Mental Healthcare for older adults

Overview

National Initial Assessment and Referral for Mental Healthcare for older adults

Consultation Draft – Survey

Caretaker notice: The Prime Minister has announced a 21 May 2022 federal election and as such the Department of Health is operating in accordance with the caretaker conventions. Departments and agencies restrict their activities in some respects during the caretaker period so as to protect the apolitical nature of the Australian Public Service. It is also important that actions taken during the caretaker period do not bind an incoming government and limit its freedom of action.

End date notice: The survey end date has been extended and will now close at midnight on 15 June 2022.

The Department of Health (the Department) is expanding and implementing the Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) tool into primary care settings to support General Practitioners and other specialists, allied health professionals and referrers to recommend a level of care for a person seeking mental health support based on the least intrusive evidence-based intervention that will lead to the most significant gain.

With the advice of clinical experts, the Department will expand the IAR to make it suitable for priority cohorts, starting with a lifespan approach to version development. This decision was based on advice relating to the different mental health experiences, developmental, social, decision-making abilities and treatment needs of children (aged 5-11), adolescents (aged 12-17), adults (aged 18-65) and older adults (65+).

Whilst age is used to indicate the broad appropriateness of each tool, for each group, the final decision about the most appropriate version of the tool to use must be based on the clinical decision of the user and the individual circumstances of the consumer.

The current IAR Guidance and Decision Support Tool (DST) were developed for adults, aged 18-65 years.

In 2020-21, the Department developed an adapted Guidance and DST for children (aged 5-11) and separately for adolescents (aged 12-17). These adaptations will be trialled in the coming months before being released more broadly.

In 2021-22, the Department will deliver an adaptation for older adults (65+), consisting of new draft guidance (called a ‘Lift Out’) and a DST, to complement the existing IAR Guidance.

The Department is releasing the draft Lift Out and DST for older adults for the purposes of consultation.

A summary of the approach taken to adapt these documents from the adult version of the IAR is also included as part of this consultation package, together with further consultation information that outlines key steps in the process.

You are invited to submit any feedback that you have on the older adults Lift Out.

The consultation findings will inform the finalisation of the older adults Lift Out and Decision Support Tool, which are scheduled for finalisation and trial in early 2022-23.

Why your views matter

The draft Lift Out is attached below and is open for consultation via the survey linked below and will close at midnight 15 June 2022. If you have any questions about how to complete the survey, please email MH.IARProject@health.gov.au and jenni.a.campbell@outlook.com

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing your views. 

Privacy and personal information

Please see the links below for further detail on the consultation hub privacy information and Departmental privacy information.

What happens next

A consultation report will be prepared for the Department of Health and the National IAR Expert Advisory Group. 

The consultation findings will inform the finalisation of the older adults Lift Out and Decision Support Tool, which are scheduled for finalisation and trial in early 2022-23.