Almost half of all Australians experience some form of mental health problem at some time in their life.
Mental health conditions are complex, costly and often chronic. They can impact the lives of individuals, families and communities.
Being mentally healthy is not just the absence of illness – it’s also about being socially and emotionally well.
While we do not provide clinical services ourselves, Primary Health Tasmania has commissioned primary mental health services for:
Search Our Services Portal to find out details about the mental health services we commission.
Primary Health Tasmania has commissioned Richmond Fellowship Tasmania to deliver psychological treatment services for people with mental illness who are living in aged care facilities.
The aim is to give these residents access to similar services as those currently available in the community.
Many young Tasmanians who have a mental health condition also experience alcohol and other drug issues.
Primary Health Tasmania has received Australian Government funding to support young people in north and north west Tasmania who experience both mental health and alcohol and other drug issues.
We will use the funding to make dedicated workers available to clients of existing mental health services who also experience alcohol and other drug issues.
We are working with the Tasmanian Health Service to put this new model in place early in 2020.
This new initiative aims to improve health outcomes for this group of young people and keep them out of hospital.
It will also aim to improve integration between mental health and alcohol and other drug treatment services, and between state and federally funded services.
When we talk about psychosocial support, we’re talking about programs and activities designed to help people with a severe mental illness increase their functioning in day-to-day life.
This year, there have been some changes to federally funded psychosocial support services for Australians with a severe mental illness.
In January 2020, the Australian Government announced a total of $76 million over two years to ensure Australians have access to the mental health support they need to recover from the effects of the 2019-20 bushfires.
While much of the funded activity is directed at the most-affected bushfire areas interstate, Primary Health Tasmania is receiving a small amount of additional funding to support a temporary increase in services where current providers report higher demand.
We will monitor the need for mental health services in local communities and work with our commissioned mental health service providers to increase service capacity as required.
eMental health refers to the use of the web and other communication technologies to provide mental health services and support, such as online support groups, podcasts and apps.
The eMHPrac – e-mental health in practice – project is an Australian Government initiative that aims to raise practitioner awareness and knowledge of digital mental health by providing training and support.
Head to Health also provides comprehensive information and collated resources for health professionals and consumers alike.
Tasmania is one of 12 sites around the country taking part in the Australian Government-funded trial, which aims to test how a more coordinated approach can help local communities reduce the rate of suicide attempts and deaths by suicide.
Read about our involvement in the trial, and other work in suicide prevention.
Primary Health Tasmania, along with the Tasmanian Department of Health and the Tasmanian Health Service, has partnered with the Mental Health Council of Tasmania, the National Disability Insurance Agency, Flourish and Mental Health Carers Tasmania to develop a new approach to mental health service planning and delivery.
Among other things, this process will involve mapping the mental health services already available on the ground across all regions of Tasmania against national benchmarks, to help identify opportunities for local service improvement.
Primary Health Tasmania does not offer health services, crisis, or emergency support.
Your regular general practitioner/doctors surgery should always be your first point of call if you need medical or mental health care
In an emergency, call Triple 0 (000) for Ambulance, Fire or Police.
For health advice on health services open at night, public holidays and weekends, visit the Tas After Hours website.
The following helplines are also available for urgent assistance: