Brain Injury Telepsychiatry Service

A world-first training program addressing complex behavioural and mental health issues experienced by people following brain injury, with the goal of improving their quality of life.

Background

icare's funding is combined with a grant from the NSW State Government of Funding and a Brain and Mind Centre Partnership Grant. This co-funding between icare and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) addressed the lack of psychiatrists in NSW with experience and skills in the area of brain injury.

The iBIPP was implemented between 2018 and 2021 in partnership with the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre and RANZCP, with icare providing $2,237,500 in funding. 

The iBIPP was highly successful, increasing the number of psychiatrists trained to work with people with brain injury from two to seven. The program also:

  • increased the number of people with brain injury in NSW accessing psychiatry services 
  • established a vibrant and active clinical network of health professionals that has continued to grow even after the program ended
  • created educational opportunities which were quickly taken up by health professionals, such as the 2020 Brain Injury Symposium that attracted over 300 registrants from Australia and internationally. 

Next steps

icare is now continuing to work together with the University of Sydney to develop and pilot a brain injury telepsychiatry service to extend the benefits of the original program to regional and remote areas.

Anticipated benefits will include:

  • continued access to psychiatric services for people with a brain injury across NSW, including those who live in rural and remote areas where known service gaps exist
  • continuation of the established clinical network to support health professionals to upskill in this specialised area
  • continued development of career pathways for specialist brain injury psychiatrists.

icare’s funding is combined with a grant of $286,500 provided by the NSW Ministry of Health. This co-funding arrangement extends the run time of the service to 18 months. It will also provide increased opportunities to gather robust evidence and demonstrate the efficacy of the program with a view to supporting its ongoing sustainability through NSW Health.  

Learn more about this initiative

Email the Innovation & Partnerships team