Labor promises $8 million mental health facility for Gold Coast ahead of election
AN $8 Million mental health facility will today be announced for the Gold Coast as part of a Labor election promise.
QLD Votes
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AN $8 million mental health facility will today be announced for the Gold Coast as part of a Labor election promise.
The multimillion-dollar mental health stabilisation facility announced just days out from the Federal election is proposed to be built alongside the Gold Coast University Hospital, in a bid to reduce pressure on emergency departments.
The facility will provide short-term observation, intervention and stabilisation services 24 hours a day.
It will divert patients with acute mental health needs away from emergency departments and de-escalate their crisis so they can continue with their health care journey.
The facility will include a range of treatment options, from crisis chairs to beds.
The exact mix of spaces, as well as the final location of the facility is however yet to be determined.
Labor candidate for Forde Des Hardman said the GCUH was in desperate need of more investment.
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“I’ve been at the coalface of healthcare in our community for nearly 14 years,” Mr Hardman who is a Senior Radiographer at Logan Hospital said.
“The $14.8 million ripped out of Gold Coast Hospitals by Scott Morrison has had a real impact on local services, and longer waiting lists.”
The announcement follows a major health crisis in South East Queensland which left all hospitals at critical capacity over a single weekend.
The Gold Coast alone has reported record surges in emergency department presentations which have left staff exhausted and stressed.
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Around 1 in 10 of these patients have acute mental health issues, such as suicidal ideation. Some of these patients are intoxicated, aggressive or disruptive — meaning an emergency department is not a safe space for them or other patients.
Locally attacks on health staff have risen by 97 per cent.
Critics say bed block is also a major cause of the ongoing ED crisis, as medical professionals are left with limited hospitalisation capacity.
At present Gold Coast hospitals have just 1.69 hospital beds per 1000 residents, with the population set to skyrocket from 620,000 to more than 800,000 people within the decade.
Gold Coast Health Board Chair Ian Langdon said the addition would be a positive for the community.
“This facility will provide much-needed mental health services to the Gold Coast community, and will help to assist with the relentless rise in demand we are currently experiencing in our emergency departments.”
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