Nurses are throwing their weight behind psychiatrists' push for a pay rise, fearing patients will die unless public hospital mental health services are seriously improved. or signup to continue reading The mass resignation of NSW public-sector psychiatrists - part of a cohort of more than 200 who previously signalled plans to quit - has exacerbated already stretched services in the nation's largest health system. Nurses rallied outside Cumberland Hospital on Wednesday, worried both patient and staff safety was at risk as psychiatric patients are being treated in general wards as a result of bed closures.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association said more than 60 mental health beds had closed across western Sydney's health network, with one of the state's two mother and baby clinics also shut. The government has also floated a plan to have other healthcare workers - such as nurses and allied health professionals - take on some of the psychiatrists' workload, a move dismissed by those professionals as "rebranding" rather than a solution. According to the government, NSW has lost just 15 mental health beds throughout the crisis.
Mental health nurse Frances Cavallaro said the move misled the public and put lives at risk. "The general ward is not a mental health unit, it's not designed, staffed or resourced to provide the specialised care, supervision and support for mental health patients," she said. "This decision is not about patient safety, it's about appearances, and the conse.