A line in the sand has now been drawn with GPs saying they will not draw up Mental Health Care Plans in the Better Access system if the Government goes ahead with the planned cutbacks scheduled for November this year. GPs are critical of the policy changes, which undermine the role of GPs in referring people to psychologists and other mental health professionals in the scheme. They quite aptly point out that the proposed changes will make it harder for those members of the general public who have a mental health disorder to reach out for help. The AMA is calling this a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul and asking the Government to turn back before this bad policy decision goes ahead.

Want to help?

Oppose the cuts to psychological services by signing our petition at at CommunityRun and Change.org. You can also join in discusison about this important issue on our Facebook Group.

If you would like to email your concerns to a politician, you might start by taking this directly to Prime Minister Julia Gillard: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm/. You can also send an eail to the Mark Butler, the Minister for Mental Health, or Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, the Shadow Minister for Mental Health, or Senator Penny Wright, senator for The Greens on Mental Health. Make your message loud and clear – ten sessions is not enough. Every voice makes a difference!

Your comments are welcome below