North Queensland Road Trip - The Kooky Clinic

Posted Friday 14 March 2025 | The Kooky Clinic

This April, Dr Shannon Morton, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, is heading North to share our plans to deliver collaborative neurodevelopmental services with remote and regional communities. By sharing the lessons learned in the development of our Hype model of care, Dr Morton aims to empower local GPs with effective, technology-driven, and evidence-based solutions for assessment, diagnosis, and management of complex paediatric mental health concerns.

Our model reduces reliance on specialist bottlenecks by bolstering the capacity of GPs, allowing them to work closely with online Psychiatrist and Paediatrician teams for case conferencing, and offering practical pathways to expand their expertise. The ultimate goal is to streamline treatment, reduce costs and improve access for families, and ensure that GPs are fairly compensated for their time. The Hype model allows GPs to be paid to receive the necessary case-based support and training to confidently manage complex or high risk cases, whilst minimizing the time spent on unpaid paperwork, and frustration with limited referral options for their most challenging cases.

During the trip, Dr Morton will be visiting Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Townsville, and Cairns to share plans, gather feedback from local GPs on feasibility, and invite interested practitioners to join the pilot program slated for 2025.

Whether GPs decide to incorporate the Hype model of care within their own practices or simply refer patients to our clinic, Dr Morton’s goal is to foster stronger networks, enhance service delivery, and bring sustainable mental health care solutions to North Queensland.