Passing the buck on the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement no longer sustainable, psychiatrists say

Australians living with severe mental illness have been left waiting longer for much-needed reform after the Federal Government deferred discussions on the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement until December.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is calling on Commonwealth, state and territory governments to deliver a clear, funded and accountable roadmap for how Australia’s mental health system will work together particularly for people living with severe, complex and enduring mental illness.

RANZCP President Dr Astha Tomar said Australians rely on different levels of government for different parts of their mental health care.

“People should not have to understand which government funds which service before they can get help,” Dr Tomar said.

“They need governments to work together and a mental health system that works around them.”

“That is the purpose of a national Agreement. It must make clear who is responsible for what, what will be funded, what will be delivered and by when.”

“Too many people in mental health crisis are waiting in emergency departments because the specialist community care or inpatient care they need is not available when they need it,” Dr Tomar said.

“Emergency departments cannot become the waiting rooms for gaps elsewhere in our mental health system.”

Dr Tomar said timely access to specialist psychiatric care must be central to the next Agreement, particularly for people with severe and complex mental illness.

“Good mental health care is biopsychosocial care. It brings together psychiatric and medical treatment, psychological therapies and the social and psychosocial supports people need to recover and live well.

“For people with severe mental illness, that can mean specialist psychiatric and multidisciplinary care alongside stable housing, psychosocial and disability supports, family and carer support, and ongoing community-based care.

“When any one of those parts is missing, people can fall through the gaps. Care needs to come together around the person.”

Psychiatrists and other clinicians working across Australia’s public and private mental health systems are experiencing profound moral distress when they know what care their patients need but cannot access it because of workforce shortages, inadequate community services or a lack of beds.

“Knowing what your patient needs but being unable to access it for them is one of the most distressing positions a clinician can be in,” Dr Tomar said.

Dr Tomar said the College was also deeply concerned about older Australians with mental health conditions affected by scaled-back private health insurance rebates for psychiatric care.

“Older Australians who rely on private psychiatric hospitals for essential treatment should not be left in limbo because the support that made their care possible has been withdrawn,” she said.

“These are people with serious and often complex conditions. Taking away access to established care risks destabilising their recovery and leaving them with nowhere else to turn.

“At a time when public mental health services are already under enormous pressure, making private psychiatric care less accessible will only push more vulnerable people towards an overstretched public system.”

The RANZCP is calling for the renewed Agreement to include sustainable funding, clear Commonwealth, state and territory responsibilities, measurable targets, implementation timelines and transparent reporting on investment and outcomes.

“It must strengthen specialist community mental health services, ensure access to inpatient care when clinically required, and improve continuity between hospitals, primary care, private care, disability, aged care, housing and psychosocial services,” Dr Tomar said.

The RANZCP welcomed the commitment to involve mental health sector representatives in December and said specialist psychiatric expertise must be at the table alongside people with lived and living experience.

“We stand ready to work constructively with governments. But this cannot wait. December cannot be another conversation or another roadmap that sits on a shelf.”

“Australians living with mental illness need their governments to work together and deliver a system that provides the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Dr Tomar said.

ENQUIRIES: For more information, or to arrange an interview call Dishi Gahlowt on +61 437 315 911 or email media@ranzcp.org.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is a membership organisation that prepares medical specialists in the field of psychiatry, supports and enhances clinical practice, advocates for people affected by mental illness and advises governments and other groups on mental health care. For information about our work, our members or our history, visit www.ranzcp.org.

In Australia: If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au or the Suicide Callback Service on 1300 659 467 or www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au.

In New Zealand: If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline NZ on 0800 543 354 or www.lifeline.org.nz or the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865 or www.lifeline.org.nz/suicide-prevention.