Primary Heath Tasmania is overseeing the establishment of two new headspace services for Tasmania – a new headspace centre on Hobart’s eastern shore and a statewide early psychosis youth service.
These services are expected to be gradually established between late 2024 and 2026. Timing of their commencement will depend on workforce recruitment and suitable premises being secured.
The Australian Government has provided funding for a new headspace centre on Hobart’s eastern shore, and Primary Health Tasmania is working with commissioned service provider EACH and headspace National to establish the centre and associated services.
This new centre will be in addition to existing headspace centres in central Hobart, Launceston and Devonport and a satellite service in Burnie. It is anticipated the new centre will open in early 2025.
More information about headspace services in Tasmania is available on Our Services Portal.
Primary Health Tasmania is overseeing the development of Tasmania’s first dedicated early psychosis youth service – to be known as headspace Early Psychosis.
Psychosis is a term for a range of symptoms where a person’s beliefs, thoughts, feelings, senses and behaviours are altered. Psychosis can cause someone to misinterpret or confuse what’s going on around them.
A estimated 0.4% of Australians aged 18 to 64 (around 64,000 people) are affected by psychotic illness. Around 50 per cent of people who develop a psychotic disorder will do so by the time they are in their early 20s. Psychosis can be treated, and many people can make a good recovery.
Funded by the Australian Government, the statewide headspace Early Psychosis service will ultimately be integrated with headspace centres to provide early intervention treatment and support to young people aged 12 to 25 years who are at high risk of or actively experiencing their first episode of psychosis.
It will use Orygen’s Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) model.
The free and confidential service is expected to be gradually rolled out around the state (Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie) by commissioned service provider EACH between late 2024 and 2026. EACH will work with young people, local communities, Primary Health Tasmania, Orygen, headspace National, and Tasmania’s existing headspace service providers to establish and operate both new services.