An evaluation of an Australian initiative designed to improve interdisciplinary collaboration in primary mental health care

• Support and leadership is vital to assist development of interdisciplinary networks.
• Mental health professionals are motivated to broaden interdisciplinary networks.
• Workshops increase professionals desire to engage in collaborative health care.
• Online networking is a successful adjunct for time poor mental health professionals.
• Mental health care funding needs to support interdisciplinary activities.

This paper reports on a multi-component evaluation of Australia's Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN). MHPN aims to improve consumer outcomes by fostering a collaborative clinical approach to primary mental health care. MHPN has promoted interdisciplinary communication and networking through activity in three inter-related areas: interdisciplinary workshops supported by education and training materials; fostering ongoing, self-sustained interdisciplinary clinical networks; and a website, web portal (MHPN Online) and a toll-free telephone information line. The evaluation showed that MHPN's workshops were highly successful; almost 1200 workshops were attended by 11,930 individuals from a range of mental health professions. Participants from 81% of these workshops have gone on to join ongoing, interdisciplinary networks of local providers, and MHPN is now supporting these networks in a range of innovative ways to encourage them to become self-sustaining and to improve collaborative care practices.