Telepsychiatry for GPs: How Online Psychiatrist Referrals Support Primary Care in Australia

General practice has always been about wearing many hats, but the mental health hat has become heavier in recent years.

GPs are increasingly managing complex presentations, like ADHD, neurodiversity, anxiety, trauma, and crisis situations, often with limited specialist availability, long referral wait times and fragmented care pathways that leave both clinician and patient feeling stuck.

Dr Ella Aston, a GP with a particular interest in ADHD and neurodiversity, knows this reality well.

Having referred patients to Dokotela since 2018, she’s seen first hand how telepsychiatry can ease the pressures of primary care - not by replacing the GP’s central role, but by strengthening it.

The Access Problem That Won’t Go Away

Dr Aston’s relationship with Dokotela began when she was working in a rural setting, where specialist access was severely limited.

“I came across Dokotela by accident because I was working rural,” she recalls.

“They provided access for people in very deprived areas.”

When she later moved to Geelong and developed a clinical focus on late-diagnosis ADHD - particularly in women navigating hormonal changes alongside neurodiversity - the same challenge resurfaced.

Local psychiatrists were difficult to find, and the alternatives weren’t always reassuring.

Many of her patients had already been through other services and arrived with fragmented reports, brief consultations and prescriptions that had never been properly titrated.

“The best you could get was a one-page letter,” she says.

“The majority of patients had really frustrating experiences. Can you imagine a neurodiverse person trying to sort all of that out?”

It’s a scenario many GPs will recognise: a patient pays for a diagnosis, receives minimal guidance, and then returns to their GP unsure of what to do next.

That’s a gap that telepsychiatry helps to close.

Quality That Makes a Difference in the Consult Room

For Dr Aston, what sets good telepsychiatry apart is the quality of what she gets back.

Detailed treatment letters are something she values and it’s one of the reasons she keeps referring to Dokotela.

“The letter is really complex and really informative and you learn a lot just reading it,” she explains.

“When the diagnosis is clear, the treatment is much easier, rather than just trying this or trying that.”

That clarity matters enormously in primary care.

A thorough psychiatric assessment that results in a detailed treatment plan gives GPs the confidence to prescribe, monitor and manage care without second-guessing.

It turns what could be an uncertain, trial-and-error process into a clear pathway.

Specialist Support When You Need It Most

One of the more practical benefits Dr Aston describes is the ability to reach specialist support quickly, particularly in complex or urgent situations.

She recalls a case where a patient presented in crisis with what she suspected was psychosis, complicated by medication prescribed elsewhere.

“I contacted Dokotela directly,” she says.

“I was given a very constructive, straightforward answer about what to do. We contacted the patient’s family and made a really good plan together, and it worked beautifully.”

Rather than navigating the complexities of organising an admission for a patient resisting one, Dr Aston was able to collaborate with a specialist in real time and develop a safe, practical management plan.

For GPs managing high-stakes presentations, that kind of accessible specialist input can make all the difference.

Empowering GPs Rather Than Sidelining Them

A concern some GPs might have about referring to external services is the feeling of losing control over their patient’s care.

Dr Aston’s experience has been the opposite.

She describes the relationship as one that gives GPs both freedom and support.

“You’re not being told what to do. The discussions, the evidence sharing and being able to ask questions gives you a feeling of safety, knowing you can always reach out.” she says.

This collaborative model where the specialist provides expert assessment and guidance while the GP remains at the centre of day-to-day care is exactly how Dr Aston believes the system should work.

GPs are specialists in general medicine and they need specialty expertise to complement their own.

When that expertise is accessible, timely and delivered collaboratively, patients get more consistent care, and GPs can manage with confidence.

Reducing the Administrative Load

Beyond the clinical benefits, Dr Aston has noticed a reduction in her administrative burden.

With clear referral processes, structured pre-referral steps and timely treatment letters, much of the chasing and uncertainty that typically accompanies specialist referrals has been removed.

“Patients know what to expect because they’ve already started on the right path,” she says.

“The administrative burden is really eased because we’re not chasing letters or chasing what’s happening.”

She also highlights how the system’s automated reminders have been particularly helpful for neurodiverse patients, many of whom struggle with time management and appointment organisation.

What might seem like a small feature can make a significant difference for someone who finds those administrative tasks genuinely challenging.

A Partnership That Works

Dr Aston’s experience illustrates something important: telepsychiatry, when built around quality, collaboration and clear communication, enhances the GP’s role.

It provides the specialist backing they need to manage complex mental health presentations with confidence, while keeping the patient at the centre of a coordinated care team.

Dr Aston says simply. “I’m really grateful they’re there.”

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If you’re a GP looking for are liable, collaborative telepsychiatry pathway for your patients, we’d love to work with you.

Find out more about referring to Dokotela or get in touch with us.

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