Most SE Qld high school students on free health care pilot program are seeing GP ‘for mental health’

Many Queensland high schools nowadays see themselves as community organisations that help their students rather than conventional education institutions, one principal says.

Billy Smith gets his blood pressure checked by GP Natasha Duncan as classmates Eden Dot, Lily Crittenden and principal Ross Bailey look on.

A GP working in a South East Queensland high school offering free health care to students says the majority of her appointments are to provide care for mental-health issues.

Dr Natasha Duncan, who has been working at the school since last year, said the pilot program that had GPs and psychologists working in schools across the state, went a long way to removing the barriers for young people in accessing primary health care.

“I think teenagers, as a group, they have the same medical problems as anybody else,” Dr Duncan said.

“But they have a lot of barriers to accessing primary care.

“A lot of them don’t know how to make GP appointments; where they do know, they need somebody to take to them the appointment, and they are often relying on their parents to do that.

Billy Smith gets his blood pressure checked by GP Dr Natasha Duncan as classmates Eden Dot, Lily Crittenden and principal Ross Bailey look on.

“By and large, the most common (ailment) is mental health.

“But certainly a lot of other sort of physical problems pop up, as well as some of the sporting injuries that come about.

“Some of the girls come and see me with some menstrual problems, sexual health, and all sorts of things.”

During the last state election campaign, the government announced a plan to see every Queensland student given free access to a wellbeing professional.

Bremer High School principal Ross Bailey said the school was “privileged” to have a whole team of professionals working to improve the wellbeing of his students.

I think all of those services just help reduce barriers to learning,” he said.

“As schools, we need to support kids in every possible way that we can.

“Long gone are the days where we are just about education, although that is still our primary focus and our primary charge.

Billy Smith gets his blood pressure checked by GP Natasha Duncan as classmates Eden Dot, Lily Crittenden and principal Ross Bailey look on.

“I think we definitely see ourselves as community organisations now that look after kids in every way we possibly can.

“And you know, wellbeing and mental health, and even just generalised health care really important components of that.”

A spokeswoman for the Education Department said the state government’s $106.7m investment over three years for the Student Wellbeing Package would see 50 state schools participate in the GPs in Schools pilot and up to 464 wellbeing professionals employed to provide additional support for students’ mental health and wellbeing.

More than 340 wellbeing professionals, including 138 psychologists, have been employed through the package and are working in 679 state schools to provide direct support for students’ wellbeing and mental health.

Other wellbeing professionals employed include social workers, guidance officers and youth workers.

By June 30, 2024, every student attending a Queensland state school would have access to a wellbeing professional at no cost and without the need to make a private appointment, the spokeswoman said.