About Isaac Navicare

In 2020, Wesley Research Institute conducted a study across the Bowen Basin to understand local challenges to seeking support for mental health. It was found that many specialists mental health services are not available locally, are not the right fit and have long waiting times before help can be accessed. Additionally, many people feel embarrassed about the need to seek help. When people aren’t able access the support that they need, problems often worsen, and start to impact other areas of their lives.

Wesley Research Institute consulted local mental health service providers, Isaac Regional Council representatives and other community representatives from across the Bowen Basin to design a new model of care that enables people from regional, rural, and remote communities to seek much-needed support that is timely, appropriate and removes many of the barriers associated with accessing specialist health care in the region. Wesley Research Institute worked with the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation to develop this service and will continue to work with them to determine if this service is of benefit to the community.

The research team is now running a new project - The Bridging Study – which is evaluating the Navicare service and will work to implement new Navicare sites and Care Navigators across the Greater Whitsundays area.

Resources

Developing a new model of care for mental health services in the Bowen Basin, Full project report.

Fisher, O. J.*, McGrath, K.*, Grogan, C., Cockshaw, W., & Leggatt-Cook, C. (2024). Care navigation addresses issues of tele-mental health acceptability and uptake in rural and remote communities. PLOS ONE 19(4): e0298655. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298655