5 August 2026

Message from Chair

Hello from the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC), and welcome to the winter edition of our newsletter.

New mental health incentives for GPs treating Veterans

From 1 July 2026, new incentives will support more proactive and coordinated care for veterans experiencing mental health conditions.

An additional $99.30 incentive item can be co-claimed with an attendance item for the development of a Better Access GP Mental Health Treatment Plan or a time-tiered consultation (of 20 minutes and above) where the attendance is for review of a MHTP and provision of ongoing mental health care. The incentive can be accessed up to four times per year.

The GPMHSC recently developed a resource for GPs who complete MHTP with Veterans that may be helpful for GPs doing this week. Check it out here.

You can read more about the incentive here.

Updates to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Treatment Plan

The GPMHSC will be updating the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Treatment Plans as part of an upcoming project. The three developmental stages from ages 0-5, 5-12 and 12-18 will be a focus point in development of this updated resource, which we hope will assist GPs in providing the best mental health care to children and adolescents.

Meet the GPMHSC team

The GPMHSC will be attending a number of conferences this year, including GPCE in Melbourne, and GP26 in Adelaide. We look forward to sharing more details about the GPMHSC’s exhibition at these conferences and future events.

Assoc Prof Morton Rawlin
Chair, GPMHSC

For GPs

Calling GPs interested in mental health education

Are you a registered GP provider of Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) with a passion for teaching and supporting peers? RACGP Rural is currently seeking expressions of interest from experienced and suitably qualified GPs to facilitate small‑group, case‑based discussion sessions as part of the online FPS Skills Training (FPS ST) and FPS CPD case-based discussion course.

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Mental Health in Practice Podcast: Therapeutic Relationships: What to do when things go wrong

The Mental Health Professionals’ Network (MHPN) has released their latest Mental Health in Practice podcast episode, featuring Lenice Murray and Lee Crothers, the episode examines the relationship ruptures that can emerge in clinical and team settings, and the role that supervision, reflective practice and relational skills play in rebuilding trust and supporting safe practice.

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New Suicide Prevention Resources from Everymind

Conversations Matter is a suite of free, evidence‑informed resources designed to help people talk safely about suicide. The resources have recently been updated to reflect current best practice and lived and living experience insights. Organisations working in mental health and suicide prevention play a key role in sharing these refreshed guides across communities, workplaces and networks.

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NEDC: Supporting Patients with Eating Disorders – A resource guide for GPs

Primary care plays a critical role in reducing the burden of eating disorders through timely recognition and action. Your role is key in how individuals experiencing eating disorders navigate their recovery journey.

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Emerging Minds: Improving child mental health outcomes in Primary Health Care

Child mental health presentations are becoming increasingly common in primary care, with families and children experiencing a range of issues including school refusal, behavioural difficulties and anxiety. General practices are usually the first port of call for these families, meaning that practices and PHNs are pivotal parts of a coordinated system of support for children and families.

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Need to meet your Focused Psychological Strategies (FPS) CPD requirements?

Developed by RACGP Rural, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) Skills for GPs is a fully online and interactive course is designed for GPs who have previously completed FPS Skills Training and would like to refresh and extend their knowledge of Interpersonal Therapy.

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For Training Providers

Expressions of Interest for GPMHSC Grants

The GPMHSC is seeking expressions of interest for upcoming grants to develop both Mental Health Skills Training (MHST) and Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training (FPS ST). We would love to hear from training providers who are interested in developing either of these activities.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recommendations

A major update to the newest iteration of the mental health standards for 2026-2028 is the addition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recommendations.

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Provider Numbers for MHST Reporting

Training providers seeking to include information on the Better Access referral process for MHTPs to their training modules, can now link to a new page on the GPMHSC website.

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