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Service Model | Guiding Principles | Future Direction | Other Resources
The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) in partnership with the Office of Mental Health and Office of the Chief Psychiatrist is a major provider of a mental health services designed to improve the quality of life and care of Western Australians (WA) with mental illness.
Service Models
The WACHS utilises a range of service models to provide mental health programs to rural and remote residents that include: outreach, home visiting services, telepsychiatry, community mental health units, mental health promotion and early intervention, authorised inpatient psychiatric units, rooming-in facilities, and consultation liaison services to general practitioners' and to regional hospitals.
Services and support are provided to children, adolescents, adults, elderly and their families by a team of multi disciplinary professionals which include mental health nurses, clinical psychologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, occupational therapists, and Aboriginal health workers.
Guiding Principles
The WACHS and all its partners are committed to the provisions of high quality mental health services and endorse the following guiding principles of:
- Mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention.
- Community-focussed approach.
- Partnerships.
- Whole of person approach.
- Family inclusive approach.
- A focus on recovery.
- Service responsiveness.
- Consumer and carer participation.
- Cultural awareness and sensitivity.
- Safety and quality in care.
Future Direction
The WACHS has developed a strategic framework to meet the challenges of delivering mental health care in rural and remote WA. This strategy sets out to achieve a sustainable mental health care service that will meet the changing needs of a diverse and often isolated population and includes:
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Delivering services across five rural mental health services - Great Southern; Central West (Midwest, Murchison and Gascoyne); Goldfields South East; Wheatbelt; and North West (Kimberley and Pilbara);
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Addressing critical shortages of mental health professionals in country areas;
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Developing telepsychiatry for clinical consults, staff development and supervision; and
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Promoting the Rurallink after hours service 1800 number for clients, family and service providers.
Other Resources
Rurallink - after-hours free mental health telephone service: Freecall: 1800 552 002.
TTY: 1800 720 101 (For Hearing Impaired Callers)
» Australian Government Department Health & Ageing, Mental Health Branch
» Department of Health Mental Health Services
» Department of Health Office of the Chief Psychiatrist
» Department of Health Office of Mental Health - for mental health services near you
» Kids Helpline
» Lifeline's Just Ask
>> Mental Health Directory for Upper Great Southern Region
» Multicultural Mental Health Australia
» SANE Australia
» The Council of Official Visitors
» The Mental Health Review Board
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