Mental health toll of Victoria’s lockdown revealed

Calls to Lifeline surged during the state’s second wave of coronavirus, as many Victorians suffered mental health issues for the first time.

Victorian calls to crisis support service Lifeline surged more than 20 per cent during the state’s deadly second wave.

James Merlino told Parliament’s public accounts and estimates committee on Wednesday that data collated to November 16 showed a spike in the six-week average.

The Deputy Premier, and Minister for Mental Health, said calls to the service were 21 per cent higher than at the same time last year.

There had also been a 14 per cent increase in people who accessed ambulance services for mental health issues, while presentations to emergency departments were up 4.9 per cent.

But he said numbers were now declining to levels seen during a reprieve between Victoria’s two major lockdowns.

Mr Merlino said the increase in presentations had to be considered in the context of Coroners Court data that showed suicide rates had remained stable compared to last year.

“The most acute end of the spectrum remains steady,” he said.

Mr Merlino said it was clear that many Victorians had experienced mental health issues for the first time because of disrupted social interactions and networks.

Last month the state government announced an $870 million boost to mental health services including $152 million to specifically meet the mental health impacts of COVID-19.

It has committed to implementing all of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System in a report due to be handed down in February.

Minister for Mental Health James Merlino. Picture: Getty Images

Mr Merlino also answered questions in his capacity as Minister for Education, and said he was confident students who had fallen behind because of home schooling this year would catch up.

Mr Merlino said a $250 million tutor program to be rolled out across government schools had been inundated with interest.

The scheme will deploy about 4,100 tutors across Victorian schools, but 18,000 teachers had already signed up to take part.

They included pre-service teachers, teachers on leave, retired teachers and casual relief teachers.

“What I’m hoping, is out of that 18,000 people....is that a number of them will get back into education,” he said.

But Mr Merlino was forced to defend the scheme that will see funding for 200,000 students to work in small groups with individual tutors.

Liberal MP Bridget Vallence said the funding would allow just a handful of 45 minute sessions for struggling students.

But Mr Merlino said the scheme was based on research and evidence.

“The evidence out of the UK is that small group tutoring over a period of 20 weeks or so could make a five month difference in the learning level achieved by those students,” he said.

“This is the single biggest investment in individual learning that the state, and the nation, has ever seen.”

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