The fall and rise of the South Australian telepsychiatry network

The Rural and Remote Mental Health Service (RRMHS) has delivered telepsychi atry services through the use of videoconferencing to South Australian comm unities since May 1994. The survivability of the service results from a com bination of factors that have seen the RRMHS expand to 48 centres and deliv er an average of 100 clinical sessions a month. The key factors responsible for the success of the service lie in the model of service delivery, manag ement support, and the implementation of a system for the scheduling and re porting of videoconference activity. The current model of service delivery has evolved over the past seven years and is fundamentally different to the infrastructure established at the implementation stage of the project. A r etrospective analysis shows the shift in service delivery models necessary for the sustainability of telepsychiatry services in South Australia.