Pivotal meeting could start overhaul of SA’s broken mental health system

A workshop in Adelaide on Wednesday could start reform of SA’s broken mental health blueprint – which is just a year old.

Health Minister Stephen Wade says he’s open to reworking the state’s one-year-old mental health blueprint, heavily criticised for its lack of detail, following the outcome of a pivotal workshop being held later this week.

But the whistleblower who prompted the workshop says he’s concerned it will end up becoming a “scripted set piece where the outcomes are already known and there will be few, if any, actions coming from it”.

“I am concerned that this will move to a talk fest rather than addressing the urgent need for stabilising specialist mental health care services in South Australia,” said Adjunct Professor John Mendoza.

Prof Mendoza is among 60 key consumer, carer and clinical stakeholders invited by Mr Wade to the one-day mental health workshop in Adelaide on April 28.

The workshop was set up in response to demands last week from a collation of medical peak body and union heavyweights backing Prof Mendoza’s urgent call for government action into the state’s overburdened mental health system.

Dr John Mendoza. Picture: Tom Huntley

SA Health Minister Stephen Wade. Picture: AAP / David Mariuz

Mr Wade will attend the final two hours of the day-long workshop for to allow open, frank discussion facilitated by remote Aboriginal community GP and academic Associate Professor Jill Benson.

Mr Wade said the workshop would help “refocus” the Mental Health Services Plan 2020-25 (MHSP) in response to COVID-19 and how to improve mental health services and their governance, especially in the short term. He said the NDIS and housing impacts on mental health would also be discussed.

The MHSP, finalised in 2020 before the pandemic, has been referred to as an outdated document of statement needing significant overhaul.

Mr Wade said the workshop would help inform the Health National Cabinet Reform Committee meeting being held a day after the workshop in Melbourne. The committee has been tasked to deliver a national mental health and suicide prevention agreement by November.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation SA Branch CEO Elizabeth Dabars said the community would continue to suffer without a well-defined MHSP plan, which lacked time frames and measurable outcomes that address the whole overburdened health system.

“If nothing is done … there will be increased hospital wait times, missed and delayed care, (and) a very real threat to people’s lives,” she said.

Mental Health Coalition of SA executive director David Kelly said mental health services had been underfunded for many years and more investment was needed to implement the MHSP as soon as possible.

Dr Paul Furst, SA branch chairman of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, said the time for short-term fixes was over, as was a mental health plan amounting to no more than “a statement of intent”. What was needed he said was “an implementation plan based on data and backed by an emotional and financial commitment”.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said it was shocking that Mr Wade’s response to this crisis was a workshop he would not be part of for the whole time.

“Another gabfest is completely hollow without immediately reversing cuts and injecting funds to address the crisis,” he said. “Action is needed, not more palaver.”

Prof Mendoza was sacked as Central Adelaide Local Health Network mental and prison health services director last month before his planned May retirement date after publicly criticising SA Health officials for the dysfunctional state of mental health in SA.

Prof Mendoza’s $13 million 10-point rapid reform called for more psychiatric intensive care beds, transfer of forensic mental health patients and NDIS-ready patients out of general mental health beds, more funding and more mental health staff.

If you or someone you know needs help all Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Originally published as Pivotal meeting could start overhaul of SA’s broken mental health system