Overview

Your mental health care team in general practice.

(Murrumbidgee Mental Health Multidisciplinary Team Service)

Better. Together. service overview for:

• Lead Contractor(s)

• General Practices

• Local Mental Health and Allied Health Clinicians

Introduction

Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) has been commissioning mental health services since 2015. With approximately 5,770 people living with severe and/or complex mental illness across the Murrumbidgee region, there is a need for targeted approaches to support this population group.

In the context of primary care, multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are a well-recognised approach to deliver comprehensive, holistic, and person-centre healthcare, particularly in cases where patients have complex mental health conditions. An MDT model of care brings together expertise across a range of fields to collaborate to support an individual to achieve their mental, social, physical and emotional goals.

MPHN have delivered Team Care Mental Health Nurse-led model of care into four general practices since 2022. An evaluation of the service undertaken in 2024 reported high satisfaction rates for both patients and clinicians.  Findings were used to inform further model development, that has been piloted in five general practices.

Murrumbidgee PHN (MPHN), is looking to expand the service to a region-wide program. The service will deliver multidisciplinary mental health services to people with severe and/or complex mental health needs within general practice. 

The program is called Better. Together.

This document has been prepared to provide an overview of Better. Together. and the procurement activity being undertaken by MPHN to establish the service. It is intended to provide potential respondents with an understanding of the integrated structure of the service and the requirement for collaboration across all participating organisations, practices and health professionals.