Equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of mental health care

In 2023 the NSW Parliament held an inquiry into the equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in NSW. Put simply: can everyone in NSW get the mental health care they need outside hospital, whoever they are and whatever they can afford?

We told the inquiry that many people we work with describe a system that struggles to give timely, affordable and consistent care. We made three recommendations.

• Better Medicare rebates for therapy. The rebate doesn’t reflect the real cost of care, and 10 sessions a year isn’t enough for many people with moderate to severe conditions. Provisional psychologists, who train under supervision, should also be covered.
• Rebates for psychological assessments. Many assessments aren’t covered by Medicare, and some take 10 to 14 hours of clinical work. Many people can’t afford them.
• Psychologists and GPs working together on medication. A trial in which trained psychologists work closely with GPs on medication management, which could help most where psychiatry services are limited.