Collaboration and local networks for rural and remote primary mental healthcare in South Australia

This paper draws on a consultation with 200 stakeholders about a mental health plan in the most remote region of South Australia to discuss primary mental healthcare improvement strategies. In rural and remote environments, a lack of services means that it is more difficult to deal with a mental illness or provide assistance for circumstantial life problems. The authors’ consultations revealed difficulties with service access, acceptability and teamwork. They also found that the availability of local human service workers leads to their use as first-level mental health contacts, but these workers are neither skilled nor supported for this. These difficulties will require attention to the boundaries between different service providers which can otherwise create inflexibility and service gaps. The regional mental health plan that is being rolled out will develop collaboration through regional interagency task groups, networking groups for local human service workers and the position of a regional mental health coordinator in order to overcome these difficulties and to operationalise service partnerships.