Mental Health and AOD - July 2025

Country SA PHN was pleased to join the headspace Port Lincoln team on Tuesday 1 July 2025 to celebrate the doors opening at their great new location.

The centre, located at Unit 2, 7 Mortlock Terrace Port Lincoln, offers more space and a central location to better support local young people seeking mental health services.

As part of the move, Country SA PHN CEO Mark Hartigan and Youturn CEO James Blevin, visited the new site, meeting with the team and getting a first look at the newly renovated space. Other Youturn staff members, as well as Country SA PHN’s Kelly Pitt (Project Manager – Mental Health and Alcohol & Other Drugs), also visited on the day.

The new site will help headspace Port Lincoln expand its services to meet the growing needs of the community.

Learn more about headspace Port Lincoln.

Thanks to the support of general practice, service providers and our regional and remote communities, more country regions are now using Medicare Mental Health for service navigation and mental health advice or support than ever before.

Medicare Mental Health is now the central referral pathway for primary mental health care referrals in country South Australia. Medicare Mental Health (formerly the Head to Health Intake and Assessment Phone Service) is a national, free and confidential initiative, offering a ‘no wrong door’ approach to accessing timely mental health care to meet a person’s needs. Whilst the name has changed, you can expect no changes to services provided by the phone service in country South Australia.

Available to people of all ages, anyone can call Medicare Mental Health on 1800 595 212 (free call) between 8.30am – 5.00pm weekdays (except public holidays) and be connected with a trained mental health professional. 

In country South Australia, Medicare Mental Health provides general practitioners with a specialised pathway to connect clients with mental health services following their consultations, a clinical and community service referral pathway, and options for self-referral when someone is seeking mental health support. Staffed by mental health professionals with specialised local knowledge, people are connected with a mental health service that is appropriate to the level of care and based on their presenting situation and needs.

For more information on referring your clients to Medicare Mental Health, view the Referral Instructions or Referral Form.

The Mental Health Shared Care program was first established in 2007 and has delivered shared care arrangements between non-government service providers and GPs for people with complex and severe mental health conditions. Country SA PHN has been proud to commission Mental Health Shared Care for country South Australia, on behalf of the Department for Health and Wellbeing (DHW), since 2018.

DHW recently undertook a review of Mental Health Shared Care that has informed the creation of a new mental health program – Pathways to Recovery.

Pathways to Recovery will operate much like Mental Health Shared Care, but together with therapeutic services, it will also offer care coordination and peer support.

This new SA Health program is offered for 6 months initially but may be extended to 12 months where needed. It will be delivered across the same country regions as Mental Health Shared Care has been available, with the addition of the Eyre and Far North region.

SA Health commissioned service providers will deliver the new Pathways to Recovery from 1 July 2025. This program will become a step-down pathway for individuals ready to transition from public mental health services into a community and recovery-oriented program, in partnership with primary care.  

For general practitioners who currently refer to Mental Health Shared Care, there will be a 6-month transition period where these referrals can continue. From 1 January 2026, only South Australian Government Local Health Network community mental health services will be able to refer into the Pathways to Recovery program.   

If you have any queries about these changes, please email:
Mental Health Strategy and Planning
Strategy and Governance
Department for Health and Wellbeing
[email protected]

Further details on service providers will be shared soon.

headspace centre staff from across country South Australia gathered for the annual Country SA PHN headspace Forum, an event focused on advancing headspace services through shared knowledge, community updates, and networking. The forum featured a full-day program designed to equip centre staff and clinical leads with practical tools, fresh insights, and a renewed sense of collaboration.

The day opened with a warm welcome and a packed agenda, kicking off with a keynote presentation by Mental Health Occupational Therapist and Clinical Family Therapist, Suzanne Fuzzard.  Suzanne delivered a compelling session on Single Session Therapy, sharing insights from her extensive clinical background and her recent Churchill Fellowship.

Later in the day, attention turned to the complex realities of early psychosis in young people —delivered by Simeon Jones, Senior Psychologist at headspace Early Psychosis in Adelaide.

The forum also provided a valuable platform for updates from our commissioning team, who shared important information on the Primary Care Portal and the underspend process. Representatives from our eight headspace centres across the State also delivered brief but insightful reports, highlighting local initiatives, recent service developments, and ongoing challenges. While regional differences were noted, a strong, shared commitment to early intervention and youth-centered care was evident throughout. A special highlight of the day was the warm welcome extended to our new service provider, Youturn—an exciting addition to the network that strengthens our collective efforts to support young people across the region.

Beyond the formal presentations, the event offered time for networking and breakout discussions, encouraging deeper conversations on the sector’s pressing concerns—from strategies to attract GPs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander client support to early psychosis and single session therapy implementation.

Organisers emphasised the importance of ongoing dialogue, noting that any unanswered questions or topics raised during the day would be addressed in the upcoming Community of Practice.

As the forum wrapped up, participants were invited to share their feedback to help shape next year’s agenda. Attendees welcomed the forum's balanced mix of training and collaboration. Feedback highlighted the value of networking, connecting with PHN staff, and learning from other centres. Popular sessions included the early psychosis presentation and centre-led discussions during breakout groups.

As one participant put it, “It’s always great to come together, share what’s working, and support each other in improving outcomes for young people.”