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The establishment of a new Veteran Mental Health GP Assistance Hotline comes as part of a $1.4 million investment package directed towards addressing mental health issues in the veteran community.
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The hotline will be made available to GPs who are treating veterans and will be manned by health experts clinically trained in veteran mental health issues.
In recognition of how unique and complex the mental health issues faced by veterans can be, the hotline will provide health practitioners with free expert advice to best support patients.
The hotline is immediately available and GPs can access free expert advice on veteran mental health issues by calling 1800 VET 777 (1800 838 777).
A General Advice Hotline will also be made available to any person in Australia who wants to access information and resources on veteran mental health and available treatments.
This hotline recognises the support and assistance that veterans’ families and the ex-service community provide to veterans in need.
The General Advice Hotline can also be accessed by calling the above-cited number, which also provides links to best practice and professional development resources.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Darren Chester said, “GPs play an important role in coordinating a patient’s care, requesting additional tests, treatment or assessment by other health professionals, and making referrals to relevant Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) services or programs.
“The new Veteran Mental Health GP Assistance Hotline will provide GPs with access to free expert advice on the unique mental health challenges that our veterans can face from health practitioners who are clinically trained in veteran mental health."
Other aspects of the investment package also include a Community of Practice (COP) for PTSD Trauma Recovery Program providers. The COP will create a network between PTSD service providers dedicated to the provision of evidence-informed mental health care for veterans.
