People often look to their GP as the first point of contact when seeking mental health support and present with a range of interrelated factors that can make it challenging to determine the most appropriate level of care.
What is IAR
The Initial Assessment and Referral – IAR is a holistic decision-making tool that is designed to support clinicians in the initial assessment of a person’s mental health treatment need, using a stepped care approach.
The IAR guidance and Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) guides clinicians to consider the key information referrers need when conducting a mental health assessment and consider the most appropriate referral pathways. By using clinical judgement combined with using the IAR-DST, will ensure the person seeking support is directed to the right care when they first seek mental health support.
Levels of Care
The IAR tool evaluates patients against eight assessment domains and matches them to a corresponding level of care.
WentWest has listed all available programs and services in Western Sydney under each level of care in our Mental Health section.
Why Use the Tool?
The IAR-DST:
- Provides a nationally consistent and standardised stepped care approach.
- Will be used by all Commonwealth-funded mental health services and promotes a shared language surrounding treatment needs, and supports clinicians’ choice of referral for mental health consumers.
- Helps identify and summarise the essential information from your mental health assessment that is critical for referral and decision-making.
- Redefines the stepped-care approach to mental health care by recommending a level of care based on the least intensive intervention that will likely lead to the most possible gain for mental health consumers.
- Delivers a shared language to support health professionals in communicating treatment need.
- Categorises mental health treatment needs within five defined levels of care and provides a framework for mental health services to be assigned to these levels, while encouraging consumer-supported choice and decision-making.
- Improves awareness and transparency about how decisions relating to referral appropriateness are made.
Register for Training
We offer training sessions throughout the year.
Any questions, please contact iar@wentwest.com.au