Shellharbour Hospital mental health unit: no date set for beds to be reopened
Nurses at a hospital on the state’s south coast fear for their safety as mental health beds have been forced to close for several months.
Illawarra Star
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Vulnerable patients and the nurses that care for them remain at risk almost four months after beds at Shellharbour hospital’s mental health unit were forced to close due to short staffing.
The Illawarra Star can reveal six beds in the Eloura acute mental heath unit remain closed as Shellharbour state Labor MP Anna Watson calls for an urgent review of the facility.
NSW Nurses and Midwives assistant general secretary, Judith Kiejda, said a work health and safety inspection was taken in November where “multiple, serious safety issues” were found.
“At the time, hospital management agreed to close seven beds across two mental health units at the facility to ensure adequate staffing levels were met and staff training improved,” she said.
Ms Kiejda said a process to work through safety issues was “still very much in its infancy”. “We’re continuing to ensure the safety of our members and the patients they care for remains a high priority for the local health district,” she said.
Shellharbour state Labor MP Anna Watson said residents deserved better.
“We must ensure that people in our area that are seeking help are getting it,” she said.
“We cannot allow this to go on any longer.”
NSW opposition spokeswoman for mental health Tara Moriarty said it was unacceptable that beds were still closed.
Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District mental health director, Julie Carter, said ongoing staff shortages within the mental health service resulted in the reduction of beds in the unit.
“The service is managing demand within the unit,” Ms Carter said.
“The recruitment of clinicians is challenging in regional areas across Australia.
“However, we are making progress with our recruitment to the mental health service.”
Ms Carter said five beds remain closed across the unit, rather than six.
“When we are again fully staffed, the Mental Health unit at Shellharbour Hospital will return to its original configuration,” she said.
From 2012 to 2019 the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District increased its workforce
by an additional 1,080 full time equivalent staff — an increase of 23.1 per cent including 157 more doctors, 428 more nurses and midwives, and 114 more allied health staff, according to the department.