Peel Health Hub

GP down south is a not for profit, community-based organisation providing health and wellbeing services in the Peel and South West regions of WA since 1994.

In Peel, we operate Nidjalla Waangan Mia Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Centre, the Peel Youth Medical Service, the 3 Tier Youth Mental Health Program, the Assertive Outreach Program, the Peel Health Hub and the Peel Mobile Health Service.

Peel Youth Medical Service (PYMS) 

Through its holistic, youth friendly primary health care service Peel Youth Medical Service aims to promote wellness by improving the mental, social and physical health of people in the Peel region.

PYMS offers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary services with General Practitioners, Practice Nurse and a Mental Health Social Worker. The target group is young people living in the Peel Region between the ages of 12 and 25 years.  All services are bulk billed and provided at no cost to clients.  PYMS is not viable on the strength of Medicare billings alone and the service receives financial support from GP down south.  PYMS is located within the Peel Health Hub on Allnutt Street in Mandurah.  It is accredited against the RACGP’s General Practice Standards.

Peel Health Hub (PHH)

The Peel Health Hub is a one stop shop for the health needs of people in the Peel region, providing a coordinated response to health issues including mental health, sexual abuse, assault, family violence and drug and alcohol issues. The PHH supports a comprehensive and coordinated model of care to improve the mental, social and physical health of its clients. Peel Youth Medical Service (PYMS), headspace Mandurah, Youth Focus, Palmerston Association, Allambee and Jobs South West are all located under the one roof to improve access and collaboration between service providers.   

Peel Mobile Health Service (PMHS)

The Peel Mobile Health Service is an innovative way of taking health services into the heart of Peel communities. The aim of the highly visible and well-respected community service is to support and improve access to health care and health information with a focus on the outer Peel communities, those at social disadvantage and those with transport difficulties due to geographical isolation.

Health services wishing to utilise the mobile health van are orientated and trained to drive and use the vehicle. Related documentation (drivers license etc) on any driver of the vehicle is obtained by GP down south and kept on file and MOU’s are developed. Through a booking system, the vehicle is then able to be used by the health service provider to support health promotion, health education and delivery of services across the Peel region.

All operational costs are covered by GP down south, with the service provider required to bring their own consumables and equipment.

Nidjalla Waangan Mia (NWM)

Nidjalla Waangan Mia was established in 2010 to help meet the needs of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Peel region.

Located on Lakes Road in Mandurah, NWM delivers range of culturally appropriate services to the local Aboriginal community.  Services include GP clinics, Practice Nurse services, podiatry and diabetes education, health promotion and wellness activities, chronic disease management, dental, care coordination, outreach and family support and visiting specialists.  NWM is accredited against the RACGP’s General Practice Standards.

NWM delivers a range of programs through State and Commonwealth initiatives, including Footprints to Better Health Program and the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme.  Mainstream general practices and health organisations can refer their eligible ATSI clients in to these programs.

NWM was presented the ‘Achieving better health outcomes for Aboriginal people” at the WA Health Excellence Awards in 2015 and was runner up in the 2018 ‘AGPAL Aboriginal Medical Service of the Year’ award.

3 Tier Youth Mental Health Program (3TYMHP)

Peel

The 3 Tier Youth Mental Health Program is a unique approach to the complex issues of youth mental health and youth suicide in the Peel region, encompassing mental health awareness, prevention and intervention for secondary school students.  The program breaks down the barriers and stigmas around mental health in our youth, promotes discussion, encourages help seeking behaviours and provides individual treatment and support to those in need.

Targeting secondary school students (year 10), Tier 1 involves an awareness raising presentation delivered by an Ambassador with lived experience of mental illness.  Issues such as physical and mental wellbeing, overcoming life’s obstacles, peer pressure, how to ask for help and the importance of leadership and teamwork are addressed. Tier 2 provides school based workshops on mental health and wellbeing topics to engage young people and to offer the skills, resources and the right environment to discuss issues, breakdown stigma and barriers and encourage self-referral or support seeking activities. Tier 3 provides one on one support through counselling/mental health treatment options accessible through the Peel Youth Medical Service, Peel Mobile Health Service, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Palmerston Association and schools.

Assertive Outreach Program

The Assertive Outreach Program has been established to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for people in the Mandurah, Pinjarra and Waroona regions with problematic alcohol and drug use and/or mental health conditions.

The program is made up of two projects. The Integrated Systems of Care (ISC) and the Aboriginal Integrated Systems of Care (AISC). The AISC focuses on engaging young Aboriginal people with mental health and/or drug and alcohol issues and the ISC focuses on engaging the general community who have mental health and/or drug and alcohol related issues.

The Assertive Outreach Team outreach to places where vulnerable and disadvantage people may be reached. They facilitate access to evidence informed treatment and supports that recognise the health of the whole person. They support collaboration and integration between service providers to reduce system fragmentation and improve the patient journey.