A shortage of psychiatrists in the Hunter’s private health sector has left people vulnerable to worsening mental health disorders, medical insiders say.
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But progress has been made, with three new psychiatrists having started at Toronto Private Hospital’s recently opened Healthe Mind Clinic.
The hospital’s chief executive Andrew Mereau said this would “alleviate the chronic shortage of psychiatrists felt for many years in the private sector in the Hunter Region”.
“When patients are experiencing a crisis, waiting six months to see the local psychiatrist isn’t an option,” Mr Mereau said.
Mr Mereau said Hunter residents had for too long been faced with travelling to Sydney or further afield to “receive care by a psychiatrist”.
He said the new clinic meant patients wishing to see a psychiatrist could do so “within a fortnight rather than an extended period”.
Dr Stuart Saker, one of the new psychiatrists, said access for mentally ill patients was “very important”.
“When somebody has a mental illness, it’s an emergency for them,” Dr Saker said.
He said there was strong demand for psychiatrists, adding he was receiving “10 new referrals a day”.
He had worked in the public health system in Sydney, where he said there were “a lot of barriers” for patients to see psychiatrists.
Dr Gary Galambos, chairman of the NSW branch of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, said “private psychiatry is doing a really good job of closing gaps in the system”.
Dr Galambos said the college had completed a survey of psychiatry in the NSW public sector, which showed “concerning shortages”.
“Existing psychiatrists are inundated,” he said, adding that if sufferers went too long without treatment it became “harder to get back on track”.
Hunter New England Health director Associate Professor Martin Cohen said the Hunter did “not have a shortage of qualified psychiatrists available to provide care” in the public sector.
“The strength and reputation of our training program means we have, if anything, an oversupply of newly qualified psychiatrists wanting to work with us,” he said.
“People who access our mental health services have differing needs and severity of symptoms. Each client receives care that is tailored specifically to their needs and circumstances, provided by a multi-faceted team of clinicians.”
Dr Galambos said the private psychiatric system was “light years ahead of the public sector”, but tensions over money sometimes led private health insurers to tighten purse strings. A creep towards a US-style healthcare system was a concern.
