Primary Health Tasmania has commissioned a new mental health service called Connected Care – Mental Health.
This is a single service being established in place of a number of existing mental health services commissioned by Primary Health Tasmania, with the aim of improving access, coordination and continuity of care for Tasmanian adults.
Connected Care – Mental Health is free for eligible adults with mild, moderate, or severe and complex mental illness.
People will be able to move between different levels of care within a single service, as their needs change.
Service delivery will be led by Wellways Australia, heading a consortium which also includes Stride Mental Health and Clarity Health Care.
Together, they will provide a range of services to Tasmanians in every region in person, by phone and online. This will include support from urban hubs, with outreach to rural and remote areas. Psychology and psychiatry appointments will be offered by telehealth as well as in person.
The multidisciplinary workforce will include psychologists, psychiatrists, Aboriginal health workers, peer workers, mental health nurses and allied health workers.
Connected Care – Mental Health will operate as part of Tasmania’s broader mental health system, working alongside GPs, Medicare Mental Health Centres, the Medicare Mental Health phone service, and other mental health services.
What will happen next?
The new service will be established over the coming months, with full implementation by 31 January 2027. The existing services will end by the same date.
During this period:
further information about Connected Care – Mental Health access, referral and service delivery arrangements will be provided
there will be a gradual process of transition from the existing services to the new service
Primary Health Tasmania will work closely with the existing and new providers to support continuity of care for clients.
The transition period has been designed to ensure a safe and planned approach to change, while maintaining access to support for people using the existing mental health services commissioned by Primary Health Tasmania.
People currently receiving support through the existing services do not need to take any action at this stage. At the moment, there is no change to the services or their referral arrangements. Clients and referrers will be kept informed about the changes that are being made.
How was the new service developed?
Connected Care – Mental Health is the result of the Mental Health Continuum of Care Project, which aimed to improve Tasmanians’ experience of and outcomes from the mental health services commissioned by Primary Health Tasmania.
The project included evaluation, consultation and service design activity involving people with lived experience, service providers, clinicians, referrers and other stakeholders.
The development process included the following activities.
An evaluation of four existing commissioned mental health programs:
low intensity mental health services
short-term psychological interventions
short-term trauma counselling
services for adults with complex and severe mental illness
Click here for a summary of this evaluation, which drew on data as well as provider, referrer and client input.
Consultation sessions with service providers, advocacy organisations, healthcare professionals, people with lived experience, and community members.
Workshops with commissioned mental health and alcohol and other drug providers to test and refine the proposed service model. The findings from this work informed the development of a new mental health continuum of care approach, focused on creating a more connected and coordinated mental health system for Tasmanians.
We will continue to update this page as further information about Connected Care – Mental Health becomes available, including service locations, referral pathways, access arrangements and commencement information.
For people currently receiving support through Primary Health Tasmania’s existing commissioned mental health services, updates will be provided by the services during the transition period.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about this project, please send us an email.
