Mental Health Referral Campaign
Educating primary care providers that they have a referral and access team to assist them to navigate the mental health system.
The Challenge for NWMPHN
North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network commission a range of community and primary care services for mental health, alcohol and other drugs, and suicide prevention.
They design and improve these services, listening to those who use them.
Due to the findings of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health, the Mental Health Productivity Commission Report and Better Access Evaluation, there have been multiple mental health reforms and confusion as to why the system is changing, what specifically is changing and when it will be changing. NWMPHN’s goal with this campaign was to ensure that mental health reform happens in a way that meets the needs of north western Melbourne, which is among the most densely populated and diverse region of Australia.
They wanted a campaign to educate GPs, health professionals, advisory groups and clinical councils about important changes to the Mental Health and Wellbeing System in North Western Melbourne PHN (NWMPHN) Region. Education about how the services offered by NWMPHN can make life easier for health professionals and their patients. Awareness and explanation about the Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool which connects people with the most appropriate services, and keeps doctors informed when a patient is allocated to a new service. Assurance that by working together, NWMPHN and health professionals can make a real difference to the mental health and wellbeing of people living in Melbourne’s centre, north and west.
At a Glance
- Project: Mental Health Referral Campaign
- Client: North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network
- Delivered: October 2023
- Duration: 5 months
- Category: Health, Government
Our Approach to NWMPHN’S Mental Health Referral Campaign
NWMPHN engaged Sketch Group to help create a communications campaign to educate advisory groups, clinical councils and GP’s about important changes to the mental health system. Sketch Group have had over a decade of experience in bringing visual clarity to help tell stories, solve problems and explain ideas.
NWMPHN operates in a diverse region with challenges like language barriers, socioeconomic inequalities, and cultural diversity. Many clinicians were unaware of NWMPHN’s new referral pathways, leading to confusion about system changes and their impact on daily practice.
At the start of Sketch Group’s process in understanding a client and their messaging needs is an empathy forecast activity, designed over 12 years of creating visual communications for clients. This empathy forecast is a workshop to really understand who the audience is, what their goals and motivations are, and what language and triggers are going to resonate with them.
NWMPHN curated a group of participants whose input was invaluable to this process. Hearing the voices of those with lived experience of navigating the mental health system was essential, as was the input from experts in the mental health advisory group and alcohol and other drugs expert advisory group, as well as key communications staff.
Our Solution For NWMPHN’S Mental Health Referral Campaign
The insights from the empathy forecast and the research provided by NWMPHN (including consumer experience, quotes and client experience survey data) formed the basis for the video that was pivotal to the educational campaign.
This script was circulated to a considered group of people for their opinion, again including those with lived experience and subject matter experts.
Once participants and stakeholders were happy with the messaging of the script, an illustrator created a storyboard of images that responded to the language. These were tweaked until the message was clear through both script and visuals.
The campaign consisted of a 3 minute video for use on the website, a cut-down shorter version of the video that was designed specifically for social media, a slide deck of images for speaking directing to GPs , and a poster based on images from the video that is available on the NWMPHN website for download and display to keep the key messages front of mind and easy to access.
Outcome From The NWMPHN Mental Health Referral Campaign
In February and March 2024 NWMPHN used the assets to spearhead a multichannel campaign targeting GPs in its region, encouraging them to refer at-risk patients for mental health support. It posted a promotional pack to all 560 general practices in the region containing posters and stickers, while concurrently using the video in e-news and targeted LinkedIn advertising.
Highly Commended at the 2024 Prime Awards
Together with the team at NWMPHN, we are thrilled and honoured that our work has been recognised with a Highly Commended Award at the 2024 Prime Awards! This achievement reflects our commitment to creating impactful visual storytelling that drives meaningful change.
