MOST and e-Friend will be added to the primary care alliance’s suite of services for those need mental health support.
WA Primary Health Alliance will launch two digital mental health services this year as part of its commitment to innovation.
The WA trial of e-Friend is underway, a partnership between Independent Community Living Australia and Mindspot GP, the latter operated by the Macquarie University Health Sciences Centre.
eFriend provides lived experience peer support to help people with their mental health needs. The service allows people who are feeling low, lonely or isolated to access virtual peer support sessions via video or phone call.
This is the first time a combined clinical-lived experience peer approach is being offered within an online clinical mental health service in Australia, according to the WAPHA.
e-Friend is free for people aged over 18 years already participating in a Mindspot GP psychological treatment course and who would benefit from the added peer support intervention.
MOST is a free digital mental health support service for young people aged 12 to 25 that provides personalised clinical and peer moderated therapy when and where young people need it, integrating digital care with the young person’s broader care team.
MOST is being rolled out during 2024 and will initially be available to young people accessing WA’s 21 headspace services.
Delivered by Orygen Digital, the technology division of Orygen, Australia’s national centre of excellence in youth mental health research and clinical care, MOST will be supported by a local team on the ground that will work closely with WA’s headspace lead agencies and local stakeholders.
WAPHA’s Strategic Plan 2023-2026 recognises digitally enabled health care as a strategic goal.
