Eastern Melbourne PHN Link-Me Service Directory: Co-Designing a Digital Care Navigation Tool

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Eastern Melbourne PHN – Link-Me Service Directory: Co-Designing a Digital Care Navigation Tool

The Link-Me Service Directory is a co-designed digital care-navigation tool that integrates mental health, social, and community services into one accessible platform for GPs, care navigators, practitioners, and community organisations across Eastern Melbourne. Its objective is to enable timely, affordable, and culturally responsive connections to support, reducing fragmentation and preventing “black-hole” referrals by allowing users to filter services by language, cost, eligibility, location, and availability.

This project will:

1. Develop and refine a digital service directory that supports primary care and community stakeholders to link individuals, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds, to appropriate services.
2. Ensure accuracy, accessibility and cultural responsiveness through interviews, validation workshops, and user testing with consumers, including migrant and refugee communities and people experiencing homelessness.
3. Strengthen referral and support pathways by engaging primary users (care navigators and GPs) and secondary users (community organisations, allied health and NGOs) who play an essential role in connecting individuals to care.

A mixed-methods evaluation will assess usability, acceptability, buy-in, uptake, and service engagement across the region. The project is delivered in partnership with Eastern Melbourne PHN, Monash University, and Eastern Health, ensuring strong local governance, implementation insight, and system-level relevance.