Rural Mental Health Conference 2026 · Presentation
Mind the gap: Making shared care work between rural GPs and mental health clinicians
1 Conference.care, Sydney NSW · 2 Curtin University, Bentley WA · 3 Rural Clinical School, University of Western Australia
Presented by Dr Julian Hooper.
- Rural Mental Health Conference 2026 (RMHC26) · Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association
- Thursday 5 November 2026, 2:50–3:10pm · RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast QLD
- 20-minute presentation
Summary
What the talk covered
- Rural mental health need is higher and the workforce thinner. A referral letter is good for the patient, but for clinicians it is a snapshot.
- A case conference brings the GP, allied health (psychology among them) and specialists together at once. It is Medicare-funded, and allied health are paid to take part. The admin is the barrier, and Conference.care handles it.
- Three de-identified case studies from WA general practices showed how conferencing clarifies roles and sequences referrals, with psychology, OT and other allied health in the same conversation.
- A mental health occupational therapy study found clinicians’ understanding of the OT role came from the conference.
- What isn’t yet known is the effect on patient outcomes, and whether the value differs between rural and city practice. That is what Beyond the Letter will measure.
Questions about the talk? Use the contact form.
The study
Beyond the Letter
Our study of what makes a good case conference, and the value it delivers. It is for GPs, and we especially want to hear from those in rural and remote practice.