Nurses
Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program
The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP) provides a non-MBS incentive payment to community based general practices, private psychiatrist services, Divisions of General Practice and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Services who engage mental health nurses to assist in the provision of coordinated clinical care for people with severe mental disorders.
Important notice
As part of this year's budget, the Australian Government is providing additional funding to the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program in 2012-13 to ensure people with a severe mental illness can continue to receive coordinated clinical care services.The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program will be maintained at 2011–12 service levels while a comprehensive evaluation of the program is undertaken. Maintaining MHNIP services at 2011-12 levels means no new organisations or nurses can join the program from 9 May 2012 unless existing participants leave, and organisations and nurses will need to maintain client services and sessions at existing levels. These arrangements will be reviewed for 2013-14 following the completion of an evaluation of the program.
Funding for the program has been maintained for existing community base general practices, private psychiatry practices and other similar organisations to continue existing arrangements with mental health nurses to provide coordinated clinical care for people with severe and persistent mental illnesses.
The evaluation, which is currently being undertaken, will assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of the program and its current operational parameters as well as model future demand and growth patterns.
For more information on how these arrangements will apply, you may wish to contact the Department of Human Services on 1800 222 032 (call charges may apply) between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday, Australian Central Standard Time.
About the MHNIP
The MHNIP is structured so that mental health nurses work in collaboration with private psychiatrists and general practitioners to provide services such as periodic reviews of patients' mental status and medication monitoring and management.The intent of the MHNIP is to ensure that patients with severe and persistent mental illness in the private health system receive adequate case management, outreach support and coordinated care.
The MHNIP also assists in relieving workload pressure for general practitioners and psychiatrists, allowing more time to be spent on complex care. Close and effective collaboration between mental health nurses, general practitioners and psychiatrists in the delivery of clinical support and services in the community is expected to:
- improve levels of care for people with severe mental disorders
- reduce the likelihood of unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions for people with severe mental disorders and
- assist in keeping people with severe mental illnesses well, and feeling connected within the community.
- periodic reviews of patients' mental states
- medication monitoring and management
- information on physical healthcare to patients and
- integrated services from general practitioners, psychiatrists and allied health workers (such as psychologists) including arranging access to interventions from other health professionals when these are required.
To be engaged under this initiative, mental health nurses must be nationally credentialed by the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN). The Australian Government uses the requirement for participating mental health nurses to be credentialed by the ACMHN to ensure that the MHNIP is managed with the highest level of integrity and to ensure quality and safety of the patient and the nurse. Information on credentialing can be found on the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses website.
The Department of Human Services administers the MHNIP on behalf of the Department of Health and Ageing.
Eligible organisations may receive:
- a payment of $240 (GST inclusive) capped at 10 sessions per nurse per week
- a 25% loading applied to sessions provided in remote and outer regional areas and
- one off establishment payments of up to $10,000 GST free to assist organisations with upfront costs associated with the MHNIP, such as recruitment and equipment costs.
Further information on the program guidelines is available on Department of Human Service's website.
Page last reviewed: 11 May 2012
