Victorians with a mental illness waiting longer to access care
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Victorians with a mental illness face bed shortages and long waits for access to care, Shadow Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge said today.
Documents obtained by the Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition under Freedom of Information reveal Victoria’s mental health system is under pressure and failing to meet critical Brumby Government performance targets.
“In early 2009 the Brumby Government released a glossy report promising to reform Victoria’s mental health system. In contrast this data shows the incompetent Brumby Labor Government has failed to address the ongoing crisis in mental health or improve outcomes for people with a mental illness,” Ms Wooldridge said
Despite Labor’s rhetoric, it has been revealed that Victoria has a declining number of mental health beds, more people failing to access care in the community prior to presenting at hospital and patients are waiting longer in emergency departments to access a bed.
The Brumby Government’s own performance indicators show that Victoria’s mental health system is in crisis, with:
- a declining number of mental health beds per capita;
- 30 per cent of all mental health patients waiting for more than eight hours in the emergency department for a bed, and 60 per cent of all Victorian hospitals falling well short of meeting the government benchmark;
- 43 per cent of patients failing to get care in the community before entering hospital; and
- one in five patients failing to get care in the community after leaving hospital, resulting in 14 per cent being re-admitted within a month.
Metropolitan hospitals are particularly lagging behind, with 40 per cent failing the majority of the Brumby Government’s own key performance indicators.
“People are failing to get preventative care in the community, waiting for hours in hospital emergency departments to access a bed and when discharged, they are not getting the support in the community, resulting in re-admission to the emergency department,” Ms Wooldridge said.
“Vulnerable Victorians continue to suffer under the Brumby Government’s inaccessible mental health services.
“The Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition is committed to providing timely support and appropriate services to people with a mental illness,” Ms Wooldridge said.
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