Access To Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS)

PROJECT REPORTS

Reports from the evaluation of the Access to Allied Psychological Services Component of the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Initiative by the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics (CHPPE; formerly the Program Evaluation Unit - PEU)

Ongoing gains in improving access to mental health care in Australia

The current report indicates that the Access to Allied Psychological Services projects have established themselves over time as a cornerstone of mental health service provision in Australia. They have gained considerable momentum, and have succeeded in attracting substantial numbers of GPs and allied health professionals. These providers have delivered services to significant 26 numbers of consumers. The profile of consumers being referred to the projects is now very consistent, with the majority being women with high prevalence disorders who may have not accessed mental health care in the past. The nature of sessions being delivered through the projects has also reached a point of consistency, with the majority being individual-level, CBT-based sessions of around one hour in length. The only notable variation relates to the charging of a copayment, which was relatively uncommon early on, became more common later, and has become less common again. Copayments are also more common in urban areas. There is good evidence that the projects are achieving positive results for consumers, in terms of alleviating symptoms, improving levels of functioning, and impacting on general wellbeing.

For a full list of earlier ATAPS Interim Evaluation reports click on the 'show attachments' arrow below.