What to expect when you call Triage
Our Triage service is generally the first point of contact for people in the north-western areas of Melbourne who are seeking support through a clinical mental health service.
The Triage service is a telephone-based assessment and support service which operates 24 hours, 7 days a week.
What to expect
When someone calls Triage, the call will be answered by a mental health clinician. The caller will be asked a range of questions to gather information to ensure the most appropriate response is given.
The information collected will include:
- who the call is about and some basic demographic details for that person (name, age, residential address/suburb)
- whether the person the call is about is aware that the Triage service is being contacted on their behalf
- a brief description of what is happening for the person (concerns or issues), and what the caller is looking for
- who else might be involved in the care of the person (for example family and/or carers, a GP, private psychiatrist or private psychologist)
- any other issues the person may be experiencing (such as safety concerns, other health issues, drug and alcohol issues)
This collection of information helps to determine the urgency of the response and type of response required from mental health or other services.
The triage process identifies whether the person needs further assessment by the specialist mental health service or other services. If so, the Triage Service will make an appropriate referral.
If specialist mental health services are not the most appropriate option, the caller may be referred to another service (for example, general practitioner, drug and alcohol service, gamblers help service or medical specialist) or given other advice.
If the situation is deemed an emergency or very serious, the call may be transferred to 000.
Options for getting help
Find out more about the options for getting help.