Our pathways
General adult psychiatry
Comprehensive psychiatric assessment and ongoing management for a wide range of mental health conditions in adults — including mood disorders, anxiety, psychosis, and more. Our team-based approach ensures you receive the right care at every stage of your journey.
Step 1 — Getting started
How your journey begins
Every pathway at Shama Health begins the same way — with a GP referral and a careful triage process.
GP sends referral
We triage
Accepted
Intake forms emailed
You complete & email back
We call to book
Step 2 — Your care pathway
Assessment, treatment & ongoing management
General adult psychiatry follows a flexible pathway. After your initial assessments, your psychiatrist determines the best ongoing care arrangement for your needs — either continuing specialist appointments or transitioning management to your nurse practitioner until you are stable and ready to return to your GP.
NURSE PRACTITIONER — INITIAL ASSESSMENT
Comprehensive history & clinical assessment
A thorough initial assessment covering your mental health history, current symptoms, medications, and overall wellbeing. A detailed clinical report is prepared for your psychiatrist — ensuring your specialist appointment is focused and your time is used well.
PSYCHIATRIST — INITIAL CONSULTATION
Specialist assessment, diagnosis & management plan
Informed by the nurse practitioner's report, your psychiatrist conducts a focused diagnostic interview, confirms a diagnosis, and develops a personalised management plan. This plan is shared with both you and your GP, and outlines the recommended ongoing care pathway.
Ongoing care — your psychiatrist decides
Two pathways depending on your needs
After your initial psychiatrist consultation, your ongoing care is tailored to your clinical needs. Your psychiatrist will recommend one of two options.
Continue with psychiatrist
For more complex presentations, you continue regular review appointments with your psychiatrist until your condition is stable and well managed.
Transition to nurse practitioner
For conditions suitable for NP management, ongoing care transitions to your nurse practitioner — more frequent, shorter reviews at a lower cost.
Once stabilised — discharge to GP
Ongoing care returns to your GP
Once your condition is stable and well managed, your psychiatrist formally discharges you back to your GP for ongoing prescriptions and monitoring. A full clinical summary is provided to your GP at discharge.
Fees — general adult psychiatry
What your care costs
We believe in transparent pricing. All fees are listed below alongside any applicable Medicare rebates.
| Consultation type | Fee | Out of pocket |
|---|---|---|
| NURSE PRACTITIONER | ||
Initial NP assessment Comprehensive history and clinical report for psychiatrist | $250 | No Medicare rebate |
NP review Ongoing management and monitoring | $100 | No Medicare rebate |
| PSYCHIATRIST | ||
Initial psychiatrist consultation Assessment, diagnosis & management plan | $700 | Max $437.90 |
Psychiatrist review — 45 minutes Ongoing specialist review | $600 | Max $415.10 |
Psychiatrist review — 30 minutes Shorter follow-up review | $350 | Max $216.00 |
Discharge to GP — 45 min review Formal discharge with clinical summary to GP | $600 | Max $415.10 |
Please note
Payments & Cancellations
• A reminder is sent 5 business days before your appointment. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please let us know by 5pm on the day you receive this reminder — that's when our team finishes for the day, so we're only able to action requests received by then.
• Cancellations or reschedules requested after this time, or non-attendance, will incur the full appointment fee.
• Your appointment fee is charged to the card on file 4 days before your session.
• If payment doesn't go through, we'll contact you by email and SMS straight away, and try again that evening. If it's still unresolved, your slot will be released to another patient on the waitlist.
• Your Medicare rebate is claimed after your appointment takes place.
Private practice
We are a private (non-bulk billing) practice. Gap fees apply — the out-of-pocket cost is the difference between our fee and the Medicare rebate.
Individual fee structures
Individual doctors may have different fee structures, particularly for ADHD and ASD assessments. Please contact our admin team for your specific doctor's fee schedule.
Out-of-consultation scripts
Out-of-consultation scripts are not a routine service and will only be issued where clinically appropriate. Please ensure you are booked with your prescribing clinician well in advance — our psychiatrists can be booked weeks ahead.
Medicare Safety Net
Ready to refer?
Send a referral today
We accept GP referrals via email. Include a brief clinical summary and the patient's preferred contact details. Our admin team will follow up within 2 business days.
admin@shamahealth.com.auGet in touch
Contact Us
We're here Monday to Friday. Reach out and we'll get back to you promptly.
Fax
07 2143 6768
For clinical correspondence
Hours
Mon – Fri
9:00am – 5:00pm AEST
About our phone system: Calls go to a triage voicemail. Leave your name and the reason for your call. We'll either action your request and confirm by SMS, or call you back within 60 minutes.
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