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📞1800 595 212 - Monday to Friday 8:30am – 5pm

Head to Health is a mental health assessment and referral service available to everyone across the Central Queensland, Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast regions.

The Head to Health phone line on 1800 595 212 can be accessed by consumers, their families, carers, as well as GPs, service providers and other health professionals.

Head to Health takes a holistic approach to mental health, whether a client has experienced mental ill-health in the past or if this is the first time they have reached out for support.

Visit the Australian Government's Head to Health website or refer your patients to Country to Coast, QLD's Head to Health community webpage.

Referrals

While no referral is needed for a person to access the Head to Health service, referrals are welcomed from GPs, primary health professionals, local Hospital and Health Service providers and non-government organisations.

GPs can refer patients to Head to Health using a SmartForm in the HealthLink system, which has been built specifically for and tailored to GP referrals. The smartform means streamlined and faster turnaround time for referrals to the Head to Health service.

Benefits of the Smartform

Pre-populated to reduce duplication of data entry
System security improves client privacy
Can be completed during the patient consultation
Allows your patient to get access to mentalhealth support sooner
Ensures you receive the outcome of each patient referral

To access the Smartform

Select the Healthlink tab in your practice software to use the form. If you don’t have access to Healthlink in your Practice Management software, sign up here https://www.healthlink.com.au/healthlink-application/

Learn more about the referral process using the Healthlink Guides and tutorials below.

Best Practice: https://vimeo.com/648824428
Medical Director: https://vimeo.com/648824706
Genie: https://vimeo.com/648824589
MyHealthLink Portal: https://vimeo.com/652736316

For more support

For support related to the Health Link SmartForm, contact 1800 125 036 or HelpdeskHL@healthlink.net
For issues with accepting or rejecting referrals, contact Head to Health on 1800 595 212.

Head to Health assessment pathway

Head to Health mental health professionals will talk with a client and then triage to the support needed most appropriate service to meet their needs or assist the person they’re supporting.

With consent, Head to Health will also work with a client’s GP to ensure they are kept informed about the support services recommended.

An initial assessment completed using the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) to gather the information required to determine the most appropriate referral pathway for the client who is calling for support. They will then do a warm handover and support them in access tools or a support service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Head to Health is a national service than connects our community to mental health and wellbeing support. Anyone can call the Head to Health phone line from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Please note the service is not a crisis service and only operates during business hours.

For urgent support, 1300 MH CALL (1300 642 255) or Lifeline 13 11 14 are available. If someone needs immediate help or is at risk of self-harm, they should call Triple Zero (000).

The Head to Health phone service operates only during business hours from 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Head to Health is not a crisis service. Protocols for responding to people experiencing high levels of distress (including suicidal crisis or acute mental illness) are in place to ensure the swift identification of individuals experiencing a crisis or needing urgent treatment or support. Upon identification, Head to Health will provide immediate support over the phone.

The Head to Health phone service provides initial clinical assessment, using the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) as required, and service navigation to connect people to the right mental health tools and services to meet their health needs.

It is designed to complement, not replace or duplicate, mental health support lines and services already provided in the community, including crisis support lines and state-funded triage services facilitating intake into tertiary services.

Not everyone will require an IAR assessment, it is for those wanting more than information or assistance with identifying appropriate services. The Country to Coast, QLD Head to Health phone service has mental health professionals trained to use the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST).

Using this tool while asking a few questions about the person’s need and current support provides a clearer picture for both the person and the clinician to discuss the types of services available and the preferred service for a warm referral.

Once a referral has been received and an assessment completed, the Head to Health service will undertake a warm handover of consumers to suitable services in the local system. Warm transfer includes securely transferring the person’s information through confidential digital solutions to the treating service provider.

With consumer consent, any outcomes of a patient referred to another mental health provider will be reported to the referring service.

All people referred to services will be followed up by Head to Health staff via phone or SMS within seven business days of the initial assessment.

Head to Health is not a crisis or emergency service.
For urgent support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
If you need immediate help or are at risk of harm to yourself or others, call 000 now.

Head to Health is delivered by Country to Coast, QLD though the
Australian Government’s PHN Program