Lack of mental health beds at RDH short-changes patients, staff
TERRITORIANS battling mental health issues deserve proper care in a dedicated facility and health staff deserve to feel safe on the job. Overcapacity at Royal Darwin Hospital’s psychiatric inpatient unit means that has not been achieved.
Opinion
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- New mental health unit still in early planning stages as lack of beds at RDH puts staff in danger
- Lack of mental health beds at RDH causing ‘extreme pressure’ and creating danger for staff
TERRITORIANS battling mental health issues deserve proper care in a dedicated facility, as do all patients with other ailments, and health staff deserve to feel safe on the job.
Overcapacity at Royal Darwin Hospital’s psychiatric inpatient unit this week means that has not been achieved.
NT government and NT Health have been well aware of this critical shortage of beds for a long time.
The NT News first covered this issue in November last year and it’s likely existed for far longer than that.
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An internal email leaked to the NT News shows the situation is “not sustainable” and is putting nursing staff under “extreme pressure”.
It noted two of the 14 mental health patients are highly volatile with “take down” and chemical restraint necessary and seven security guards and five personal care assistants are required to keep RDH staff and patients safe.
What was done, if anything since last year? What has changed? What will change?
We don’t know just yet, because NT Health can’t answer questions on time.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume not much at all is different since November 2019, considering the similarities between what RDH was facing then and what is occurring now.
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We know there is money available from the federal government to build a new and much-needed mental health facility.
This needs to be progressed as quickly and as efficiently as possible before staff or patients are seriously injured, or worse.
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