Doctors threaten mass resignation amid worsening crisis

Psychiatrists are threatening a mass exodus from NSW Health, warning that the catastrophic state of the public mental health system is putting patient safety at risk amid a collapse in pay negotiations with the state government.

Staff specialist psychiatrists working across NSW’s public health system are planning to send their employers their notice of resignation on November 1, in a move co-ordinated by the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation of NSW (ASMOF).

Psychiatrists in the NSW public mental health system are threatening to resign amid an ongoing pay dispute with the state government. Credit: Jamie Brown

“I have decided to resign from my employment because of NSW Health’s failure to resource and fund its public hospitals adequately,” reads a document titled “notice of resignation” circulated to ASMOF members obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Delegates from NSW Health and the union appeared before the Industrial Relations Commission on Friday after failing to strike a deal in the latest round of bargaining.

It is the latest dispute with healthcare workers since the Minns government lifted the wages cap in September last year. The government is also in the middle of intense pay negotiations with nurses and midwives, after the IRC gave the parties four weeks to strike a deal.

The mass resignation tactic is similar to that used by NSW paramedics, who won a 25 per cent pay rise in December after threatening to withdraw their registration.

The resignation document highlights a “persistent and chronic understaffing of psychiatric services across NSW Health, leading to serious concerns around patient safety”, inadequate remuneration for staff specialists compared with their interstate counterparts, and ongoing health and safety risks at psychiatric services.

“This is the only option I see left to convince the government to take action and ensure the people of NSW have access to the best possible healthcare system,” the letter reads.

There are 493 psychiatrists working in the NSW public health system, and 140 job vacancies. There were more than 114,000 mental health-related visits to NSW emergency departments in 2022-23.

Psychiatrists who attended an ASMOF meeting on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favour of collective resignation: 74 per cent agreed to the action, 21 per cent were undecided and 5 per cent voted against resigning.

They agreed they would be willing to withdraw their resignation if all psychiatrists employed by NSW Health were paid a level 4 salary with maximum drawings.

Based on the 2023 award, that would mean all publicly employed psychiatrists were paid at least $273,000 a year.

NSW Health staff specialists, including psychiatrists, are seeking a 30 per cent pay rise and increased penalty rates for working unsociable hours over an unspecified period of their new agreement.

According to the union and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), NSW staff specialists are paid up to 30 per cent less than their equivalents in Victoria and Queensland.

A recent survey by RANZCP found 80 per cent of psychiatrists being trained in NSW’s public system were planning to leave the state, while 43 per cent planned to leave the public sector in the next 12 months.

A NSW government spokesperson said it was “deeply concerning that psychiatrists are feeling undervalued”.

“Our top priority is ensuring consumer safety and care,” they said. “We will be working with NSW Health and all relevant stakeholders to put comprehensive strategies in place to handle this situation.”

In a statement on Saturday, ASMOF said after an Industrial Relations Commission hearing on Friday, members had been advised not to resign until November 11 to allow for further bargaining meetings. “We urge the NSW government to urgently address psychiatrists’ concerns and properly resource our public mental health services by paying our staff fairly.”

ASMOF president Nick Spooner said: “We don’t have a chance of filling the widespread vacancies in our psychiatry workforce while there is a 30 per cent pay gap with the rest of Australia. NSW psychiatrists have fallen far behind, and it is ultimately the patients and the community who are paying the price for that.”

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