Lack of mental health beds at RDH causing ‘extreme pressure’ and creating danger for staff

MENTAL health patients, including those who are ‘highly volatile’ and need to be chemically restrained, are overflowing into Royal Darwin Hospital’s emergency ward.

MENTAL health patients, including those who are “highly volatile” and need to be chemically restrained, are overflowing into Royal Darwin Hospital’s emergency ward.

It is because of a critical shortage of dedicated beds and is putting staff and other patients in a danger, an email leaked to the NT News reveals.

In a situation reminiscent of a capacity issue that occurred in November last year, the email revealed a lack of beds at Royal Darwin Hospital’s psychiatric inpatient unit this week pushed 14 mental health patients to be cared for in the emergency department and other parts of the hospital.

The Royal Darwin Hospital main entrance. Picture Che Chorley

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The situation is “not sustainable” and is putting nursing staff under “extreme pressure”, according to the internal email.

“Two of the 14 (mental health patients are) highly volatile with ‘take down’ and chemical restraint necessary,” director of nursing and midwifery Jenny O’Shaughnessy noted in the leaked email.

“There are seven security guards and 5 PCAs (Personal Care Assistants) required to keep the RDH staff and patients safe.”

It is unknown if the extra security requested for safety is on the ground or if they will be provided to RDH because the Health Department failed to respond to detailed questions by deadline.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles addresses the media at Royal Darwin Hospital on frontline resourcing. Picture: Glenn Campbell

In November last year, it was revealed a critical shortage of mental health beds at RDH had pushed patients into medical and surgical wards with doctors saying the overflow was putting “lives at risk”.

At the time, Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the situation was “not acceptable” though Top End Health was “working hard to address the issue”. Asked  on Tuesday if enough had been done since then, Ms Fyles said all patients “must have access to the best possible care at all times” ­particularly those who were most vulnerable.

She referred to $50m in federal government funding that had been secured as part of an agreement signed in June to build a new mental health ­facility in Darwin.

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Of the funds, $30m will go to the new mental health facility, $5m will be used to develop an adult community mental health centre and the remaining $15m will cover operational costs for the adult community mental health facility for the next five years.

Progress on this project remains unknown.