Northern Beaches Hospital: Push for youth mental health bed funding to be restored
A decision to abandon promised funding for dedicated youth mental health beds at Northern Beaches Hospital has prompted a push to have the pledge honoured.
Manly
Don't miss out on the headlines from Manly. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A push is on to restore the promised millions of dollars in funding for much needed mental health beds for teenagers and children at Northern Beaches Hospital.
The council is being urged to lobby the Labor state government to reverse its decision to abandon $7.5 million that was set aside to pay for four dedicated children/adolescent beds in the hospital’s mental health unit.
This cash was part of an $11.4m pledge in the previous Coalition government’s 2022-23 budget that also included $2.5m for more staff at Northern Beaches Child Mental Health Services at Brookvale and the Northern Beaches Youth Response Team at Mona Vale.
The hospital beds were meant to help and slow high local rates of suicide and self-harm.
But in February this year, NSW Mental Health and Youth Minister Rose Jackson announced that money for the youth beds would not be available.
Ms Jackson argued that the Coalition had promised the cash without guaranteeing the hospital could deliver and manage the new beds.
As part of a public-private partnership, negotiated by the Coalition, NSW Health pays company Healthscope $600m per year to enable public patients to attend its privately-run hospital.
In July last year, Ms Jackson gave the hospital an eight-week deadline to “commit to delivering the beds as expected by us and the community”.
“It is deeply disappointing that the former government made a commitment to a four-bed adolescent mental health and drug and alcohol unit without any robust needs assessment or study,” Ms Jackson said in February.
Instead, the Minister announced an alternative plan including a $939,000 “safe haven” at Brookvale Community Health Centre, a mental health first responder program and a liaison service for young people with mental health, drug and alcohol issues in the Northern Sydney Local Health District.
Now independent Northern Beaches councillor Vincent De Luca is calling on the council to write to Premier Chris Minns, Health Minister Ryan Park, Opposition leader Mark Speakman, as well as Ms Jackson, condemning the decision to drop the bed funding and calling for that cash to return to the budget.
In a Notice of Motion to be debated at Tuesday night’s council meeting, Cr De Luca also urged the council to condemn the staffing cuts to the hospital’s mental health and maternity units.
He also wants the council to call on the Government to intervene and ensure those positions were reinstated” and set up an Upper House parliamentary inquiry into the management of the hospital as well as explore ways to “return the hospital back into public hands”.
Cr De Luca said on Monday that the lack of youth beds was a “significant risk” for young people with mental health issues.
“They will have to go to Hornsby Hospital, and sometimes time is of the essence, particularly when dealing with suicide attempts and other psychotic episodes,” he said.
“The fact this money was promised, and has now been removed, shows that the northern beaches is in the wilderness under this current state government.”
The motion comes as the Government last month ordered a “safe staffing” inquiry into the number of nurses per patients at the hospital and the start of an ongoing “performance audit” by the NSW Audit Office.
The hospital’s mental health unit currently has 61 beds across four specialised wards including a 20-bed ward for public health care admission a six-bed ward for short stay crisis admissions.
If this article raises any issues, support is available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
‘Ferocious assault’: Man’s alleged unprovoked Bondi attack
A wanted man, who has been accused of “ferocious, violent assault” at Bondi Beach, has made a fresh bid to be released on bail despite a warrant for his arrest in Queensland hanging over his head, a court has heard.
Grand surprise behind Federation facade
A classic Federation facade hides a pleasant surprise — beyond the double front doors, the century-old home has been transformed into a designer residence.