Donate
Sign In
Collaborate with us

Head to Health / Medicare Mental Health

Share this initiative

Key Details

Organisation Name

Liquid

Location

Liquid – Level 1, 324 Wickham Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Australia

Website

Social

eMHIC Member Status

Community Member

At a Glance

Description

Population-wide mental health is a complex, sensitive issue that needed a new approach following COVID-19. Liquid took human-centred innovation and design to the next level, empowering all Australians to act with confidence. The Australian Government-commissioned initiative has won multiple awards.

Implementation Status

Scaling implementation

Head to Health (renamed Medicare Mental Health) connects information/programs/services from across the mental health ecosystem. The free, personalised digital service helps Australians find the right information/support, even in periods of uncertainty.

Target Population

Australians in need of mental health support

Families/carers

Healthcare professionals/service providers

Impact & Outcomes

July-August 2023
350+
People involved in co-design
4,500+
Users access care in 2 months
4,900+
Services accessed in 2 months
8,500+
Users take quiz in 2 months
350+
People involved in co-design
4,500+
Users access care in 2 months
4,900+
Services accessed in 2 months
8,500+
Users take quiz in 2 months
I think this is a great resource... I think it's even good for people that aren't at the stage yet when they need help but can take preventative measures now to try and curb the direction they are heading.

Health professional

I really didn't expect that I [would] be able to book an appointment on the same website - it was so easy to do that.

User

This is a very well set out website. I am a trainee psychologist who has worked as a mental health support worker, I would gladly refer clients to this website as well as friends, family and colleagues.

Carer

Head to Health approaches an important service with respect and creativity. The personalised user experience demonstrates the comprehensive research behind the design.

Australian Good Design Awards jury (2023)

Related Articles
Knowledge Bank images-2025 (21)
China Global Dialogue Forum: Digital innovation driving mental health transformation
Read Article
All Articles

Interconnected Magazine

Now accepting submissions of interest for the upcoming issue.

Interconnected is the world’s only digital mental health magazine.

Want to be featured?

Email [email protected]

Read the 2025 edition here

Initiative Overview

The Current Gap

Globally, unmet demand for mental health services, exacerbated by challenges in accessing support, remains an ongoing concern. Despite increased community awareness, people still struggle to understand what they’re experiencing and if they should act. Action is often impacted by wait times and service costs.

In 2020, a Productivity Commission report highlighted fragmentation in Australia’s mental health system. It recommended introduction of a person-centred system. COVID-19 accelerated global demand for services. Starting in mid-2021, this project addressed the gap between demand and support by focusing on the evolving role of digital innovation to create real change, enabling better health/wellbeing outcomes.

A 2014 study showed Australians struggle to find the right mental health services/resources. In response, the Australian Government commissioned Liquid to develop a digital mental health gateway.

In 2017, Head to Health broke new ground in raising awareness/destigmatising mental health, winning a 2019 Good Design Australia ‘Best in Class/Digital Web Design and Development’ Award.

In 2023, the redesigned Head to Health platform won a second Good Design Australia Award. It recognised Liquid’s diverse, systemic and collaborative research/design approach.

In 2024, the platform won:
• Better Future Gov Design Award
• TechDiversity Award

Liquid’s work on Medicare Mental Health is ongoing.

The Medicare Mental Health quiz is available at https://www.medicarementalhealth.gov.au/quiz.

Our Solution

Liquid and Speedwell led the groundbreaking design and delivery of the Head to Health service in collaboration with more than 350 Australians, service providers, healthcare professionals, and academics. The national platform (renamed Medicare Mental Health in 2025) assesses individual situations, empowers people to make informed decisions, and connects them with personalised care options (face-to-face/phone/online).

The solution: an integrated, person-centred approach that:
• provides increased clarity on choices/service availability
• makes it easier to access low-intensity or digital mental health services and online treatment programs 
• reduces fragmentation/duplication in consumer experience
• is holistic in addressing social determinants or triggers for poor mental health and wellbeing.

Key Features

1

Wayfinding quiz providing safe, tailored suggestions

Based on demographic factors, nature/severity of issues, personal preference. Algorithm, prognostic assessment and clinical advice developed with University of Melbourne.

2

Online bookings

Facilitates online booking of GP appointments for mental health assessment and support.

3

Service Finder for health professionals

Helps health professionals find, select and share trusted mental health services tailored to their patients’ needs and level of care.

4

Semantic site search

Helps people find relevant mental health information and services using intuitive, natural language search tailored to their needs.

5

How Are You Feeling Today?

Helps people explore emotions and connect with relevant mental health support, services and self-help resources.

Collaboration in Action

Main Collaborators

  • Collaborator Logos (58)
The University of Melbourne

Join Our Global Community

Three ways to get involved:

Choose the level that fits.

become a member

Key Learnings

Since 2014, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has reported that 54% of Australians with mental health challenges don’t seek professional help.

So, a central challenge was to understand diverse, underlying reasons and determine what would motivate different people to act.

Liquid engaged with 350+ Australians including people with lived experience of mental illness, the general public, carers, service providers and health professionals to map current experiences, explore opportunities and design solutions through multiple rounds of user-centred design.

Sensitivity of the topic also required a trauma-informed research approach, alongside layers of clinical governance, and privacy considerations.
The project’s ongoing success demonstrates the potential for digital, person-centred approaches to resolve significant pain points for people trying to navigate fragmented service ecosystems, and the opportunity to create real change.

Importance of a supportive, respectful, and trauma-informed research approach. This is needed to identify key areas to focus when:
• Creating a clearer entry point/pathway
• Making it quicker to spot the signs
•Helping people understand their best options
• Reducing friction
• Enabling a blended on/offline approach

Work in this space can’t be rushed. The project ran October 2021-April 2023, including public trial/refinements, before June 2023 launch.
Collaboration included working with a team from University of Melbourne to embed their co-designed, clinically validated Link-me Decision Support Tool and model of care into a consumer facing quiz to assist people in need of mental health support to find and access trusted services.

The collaboration with University of Melbourne provides the potential for future academic publication.

Robustness and transparency of the project’s human-centred research approach and learnings provides insight and inspiration for others in Australia and globally.

Looking Ahead

Liquid is enhancing the quiz to comply with new TGA guidelines, ensuring the platform continues to provide users with safe, trusted and compliant support.

The platform is also being expanded to include the recently launched Medicare Mental Health Check In service as an official early intervention pathway. Liquid is part of a game-changing consortium (led by St Vincent’s Health Australia) entrusted to design and deliver the Australia-first, fully digital initiative, funded by the Australian Government. https://emhicglobal.com/global-news/case-study-medicare-mental-health-check-in-provides-low-intensity-support-in-australia/

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data, one in five Australians (aged 16 to 85) will experience a mental health disorder in any one year.
Liquid’s collaboration with health service providers shows how existing infrastructure, services and data can be leveraged and integrated to create new outcomes, including improved operational efficiencies.

The wide-ranging and holistic research that has underpinned all stages of this project provides a blueprint for continued innovation and a roadmap for future improvements.
The future vision is to make accessing support affordable, easy, proactive and available as early as possible for everyone.

By combining safe government innovation with human-centred design, the initiative aims to remove barriers to care and deliver more personalised, holistic and connected support that encompasses the broader factors influencing wellbeing beyond health alone.

The project also demonstrates how collaborative, research-driven and iterative approaches can help governments respond more effectively to complex and evolving social challenges, ultimately contributing to a more resilient, informed and supported population.
eMHIC Directory_Key Contacts (13)

Key Contact

Fiona Armstrong
Liquid CEO
Liquid

Email

[email protected]

Website

Resources

Head to Health_3
Head-to-Health_3-scaled.png
Head to Health_2
Head-to-Health_2-scaled.png
Head to Health_1
Head-to-Health_1-scaled.png

PROMOTION

Directory Banner Placements (9)