SA Health whistleblower calls part of urgent mental health measures a ‘thought bubble’

An urgent State Government mental health response is expected to help relieve mounting pressure on Adelaide EDs despite criticism by a whistleblower.

Mental health patients can seek treatment at four priority care centres from Thursday, under a plan to immediately release pressure on Adelaide’s major hospitals.

But SA Health whistleblower John Mendoza has described the urgent action measure – announced by the State Government on Wednesday – as “a thought bubble”.

The urgent measure is one of four expected to help reduce unprecedented demand on mental health services, which is putting a strain on emergency departments and ambulance crews.

The priority care centres (PCCs) are in Elizabeth, Hackham, Hindmarsh and Para Hills.

Mental health patients will be able to refer themselves to the clinics.

There is also the potential for referrals from police, paramedics and other health professionals, including GPs.

Yesterday, The Advertiser reported almost 1500 South Australians with a mental health condition had to wait more than 24 hours for an ED bed in the 12 months to February. And on Monday, all of the state’s major public hospitals reached catastrophic levels of overcrowding.

SA Health Minister Stephen Wade outside at the Women's and Children's Hospital in North Adelaide earlier this month. Picture: Mike Burton

The PCCs opened in 2019, but until now have not treated mental health patients. The other measures announced by Health Minister Stephen Wade on Wednesday were:

FREEING up ambulances by allowing mental health inpatients to be transported by non-ambulance vehicles from hospital for non-urgent treatment;

FILLING short-term vacancies left by mental health staff on secondment by offering longer-term contracts to replacement staff, and;

ACTIVATING clear guidelines for Local Health Networks on when and how to share patient demand among hospitals during peak periods. This measure will require consultation with the health networks.

Mr Wade said the changes followed feedback from a mental health workshop held last week.

He said the government was working on a range of other issues raised at the workshop and by the broader community, and that further announcements would be made in the lead-up to next month’s State Budget.

“We are listening and have moved quickly to deliver a suite of measures designed to provide immediate relief to the mental health system,” Mr Wade said.

The coalition: Dr Patrick Clarke, Adjunct Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars, Associate. Professor John Mendoza, Dr Mark Morphett and Bernadette Mulholland out the front of the RAH last month. Picture: Mark Brake

Adjunct Professor Mendoza said that without credentialed mental health staff, the PCCs would do little to divert mental health patients from EDs and, if properly staffed, would siphon much needed staff from struggling services. “It’s a thought bubble that will not work,” he said.

He said being able to fill mental health staff vacancies before a seconded worker’s anticipated return was an “excellent” initiative, however the four measures together “are not what is required to stabilise the system”. “This is a deep crisis.”

Prof Mendoza and a coalition of peak health and union bodies have called for 60 extra mental health beds and filling up to 200 mental health staff vacancies as soon as possible.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said the urgent measures were a “pathetic and inadequate” response that would continue to see patients suffer and doctors and nurses resigning in frustration.

“There is not one single extra resource attached to this meaningless list of measures,” he said.

Calls for mental health reform follow a seven-month “Let’s Talk” campaign led by The Advertiser.

Originally published as SA Health whistleblower calls part of urgent mental health measures a ‘thought bubble’