Telehealth Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Follow-Ups for NSW — After One In-Person Assessment
A telehealth mental health nurse practitioner appointment is how most of your care with Mindora Health happens after day one. You see us in person once a year for a comprehensive assessment in Wollongong; everything after that — treatment reviews, medication monitoring, prescriptions, results, reports — is delivered by secure video or phone from home, work or wherever is private and convenient. Same clinician, same treatment plan, Medicare rebates apply.
Why we use a hybrid model
We ask every client to see us in person once a year because a comprehensive assessment is done best face to face. It builds the therapeutic relationship, and it lets us assess things that are harder to pick up on a screen. Once that foundation is in place, follow-up care is mostly about review, monitoring and adjustment — and that is well suited to telehealth.
The result is specialist mental health care that fits around your life without repeated travel to appointments — which matters in the Illawarra, the South Coast and the Southern Highlands, where the nearest specialist is often an hour or more away.
Healthdirect has a plain-language explainer on what telehealth is and how to prepare if it is new to you.
What telehealth mental health nurse practitioner follow-ups are used for
How a telehealth mental health nurse practitioner appointment works
Book online
Or at your previous appointment. Choose video or phone.
Receive a secure link
By email or SMS before the appointment. Nothing to install — the link opens in your browser on a phone, tablet or laptop with a camera. If video is not practical, we phone you.
Find a private, quiet space
With a reliable connection. Have your medication list handy.
Prescriptions and paperwork afterwards
Electronic prescriptions are sent to your phone or pharmacy through the national system described by the Australian Digital Health Agency. Results, letters and plan updates are sent to you and, with your consent, your GP.
Fees
| Appointment | Duration | Fee | Medicare rebate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long follow-up — review and revise treatment plan | 40 min | $150 | $75.60 |
| Standard follow-up — monitor and evaluate treatment plan | 20 min | $100 | $52.55 |
| Brief follow-up — quick check-in, script renewal | 10 min | $50 | $27.80 |
What to expect at your first telehealth mental health nurse practitioner follow-up
Most people have their first telehealth appointment two to four weeks after the in-person assessment. It is usually a 20- or 40-minute review: how you have been since we met, any early response or side effects if medication was started, results of any investigations, and whether the plan needs adjusting. If you were referred to psychology or other services, we check that those connections have happened. You leave with any prescriptions sent electronically and a clear date for the next review. Later appointments are spaced according to your needs — more frequent after a change, less frequent once you are stable.
What telehealth can and can’t do
A telehealth mental health nurse practitioner review can cover almost everything an in-person follow-up can: history, mental state, medication decisions, prescribing, results, documentation and referrals. What it cannot do is a physical examination, or certain observations — weight, blood pressure — that some medications require. Where those are needed we arrange them through your GP or a pathology collection centre, or ask you to come in. Telehealth is also not the right setting for an emergency; if you are in crisis, call 000 or the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 rather than waiting for an appointment.
Is telehealth right for me?
Telehealth is suitable for most follow-up care. It is not suitable for emergencies, and there are times when we will ask to see you in person — for example, if your condition has changed significantly, if a physical examination is needed, or if you or we feel that a face-to-face appointment would serve you better. Phone appointments are available if you are not comfortable on video or your connection is unreliable.
Nurse Practitioners deliver telehealth within the same scope of practice and standards as in-person care under the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice.
Who can use this service
Telehealth follow-ups are available to existing Mindora Health clients who have completed their in-person comprehensive assessment in Wollongong. Because the annual assessment is in person, the service is designed for people living in Wollongong, the Illawarra, Shellharbour, Kiama, the South Coast, the Southern Highlands and surrounding NSW who can attend once a year.
Privacy and security
Video appointments use a secure, encrypted platform [insert platform name — confirm Australian-hosted]. We do not record appointments. Please choose a private space at your end; if someone is with you, let us know at the start. Our privacy policy explains how your health information is stored and shared.
Our approach
The same clinician who assessed you in person is the one who reviews you on screen, with the full picture of your history in front of them. That continuity is the point of the model. Our practitioner’s research background in co-occurring mental health and substance use shapes follow-ups too: reviews check in on alcohol and other drug use and physical health alongside symptoms, not just whether a script needs renewing. Read about our practitioner →
