The Greater Murray Accessline

Abstract

Objective: To provide an overview of the service delivery model and operational data for a technology-enabled rural mental health triage and case management programme. Implications for other mental health services will be discussed. Method: Naturalistic descriptive data collection and analysis using the service provider's telephony and clinical information systems. Service utilisation, sociodemographic and illness variables are reported as well as consumer and provider satisfaction data obtained via survey. Results: Over 25,000 telephone contacts occurred during the eighteen-month period reported. Approximately 40% were triage calls with the remainder related to telephone-based case management. A wide variety of user groups were identified with utilisation by the indigenous population significantly higher than expected (12% of total contacts). Ninety five per cent of consumers rated the service as being satisfactory or higher. A trend was observed for reduced use of inpatient resources. Conclusions: This paper confirms international data supporting the value of technology driven, protocol-based triage and case management. Delivery of telephone-based contacts within a mental health service can be successfully achieved from a geographically remote site and may provide significant benefits for the delivery of rural mental health services.