Information for professionals

24-hour Mental Health | telephone access service

How do you make a referral?

How we work with you

HNE Mental Health aims to communicate effectively with GPs and referrers by:

• Acknowledging the receipt of referral 
• Advising of the referral’s outcome
• Advising of the outcome of the assessment and the plan for management, and
• Advising of any changes to the management plan.

Our expectation from referrers and GPs is to communicate effectively:

• When a referral is made 
• When you prescribe treatment 
• If you identify new mental health needs, and/or 
• When treatment is changed.

Who can you refer?

People with severe mental disorders who:

• Need specialist mental health care 
• Cannot be looked after in primary care sector 
• Are at risk to self or others secondary to a mental disorder are such that require assertive management from a specialist mental health service 
• Need case management/care coordination

Please be aware that referrals are prioritised depending upon need for urgency of response and to match available staff.

Useful links

Please note: HNE Health does not review the content of these websites.

Education and Training Resources

• Beyond Blue
• Gardiner Library Service
• University of Newcastle Library
• The Black Dog Institute

Professional groups and Organisations

• Australian Association of Occupational Therapists
• Australian Association of Social Workers
• Australian College of Mental Health Nurses
• Centre for Brain and Mental Health Reserach (CBMHR)
• Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health (CRRMH)
• Centrelink
• Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres 
• Everymind
• Health Statistics New South Wales
• Hunter New England Psychiatry Training Program (HNET)
• NSW Institute of Psychiatry
• Psychogeriatric Nurses Association Australia
• The Australian Psychological Society
• The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)
• The University of Newcastle
• The University of New England