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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-03-20 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:05): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: This government has made an unparalleled commitment to improving our state's mental health system. In 2007 the Social Inclusion Board presented to the government its report on mental health reform: 'Stepping up: A social inclusion action plan for mental health reform 2007-2012'.

The board recommended the establishment of a new 'stepped' system of mental health care to suit the various stages of a person's mental illness. When the board handed down its recommendations, South Australia had 513 inpatient and forensic beds in a model of care that failed to address the various stages and needs of mental health consumers. Over the last five years we have been dedicated to improving mental health care in the state.

This has not only been through a massive investment in resources but also supported by the introduction of the Mental Health Act 2009. Since 2007, the Labor government has invested more than $300 million to improve our mental health services and infrastructure. Because of our reforms and investment, the new system is offering more options for care, treatment and recovery, and delivering more beds and services closer to where people live in the community, including in the country.

When all the infrastructure is completed in 2014, South Australia will have 615 beds and places across all care types, an overall increase of 102 beds and places. While these reforms continue to be implemented, it has become clear that there are still areas that need attention. There have been cases that have recently come to my attention where, in my view, patients have stayed an unacceptably long time in emergency departments awaiting access to acute mental health care.

Whilst I acknowledge the benefits of a stepped system of care, as mental health minister I need to make sure that we have the balance right. It is the proper role of emergency departments, as the first point of call, to ensure that patients are stable, particularly those who present with heavily drug-induced symptoms. That can mean that mental patients are required to remain in emergency department care until their condition stabilises.

However, while we will always have times of peak demand, we need to make sure that our emergency mental health patients are receiving the most appropriate and timely care. That means having the right environment and the right specialist care for what everyone acknowledges are some very complex health care needs. The safety of our emergency department staff and patients also must be a priority. That is why we have asked SA Health to undertake a swift review of the performance of the system since the introduction of these new reforms.

This review will assess the balance of acute and non-acute mental health services and beds, particularly during peak demand. It will report specifically on capacity and processes in Adelaide's south and advise on ways to address unacceptably long stays in the Flinders Medical Centre emergency department. In doing this, the review will be asked to assess bed coordination and patient flow, and examine the core underpinnings of emergency response across the state.

The government's reform and investment in our mental health system has been significant and is designed to confront the growing issue of mental illness experienced across the nation. However, as with any major change in government policy, it is appropriate to evaluate how the changes have been implemented and to address any unintended consequences. This way we can make sure that the measures we have already taken are delivering the best possible outcomes for the community today and meeting the demands of the future.

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