Mental health patients languishing in Dandenong and Casey hospital emergency departments are still getting specialist care and support, according to Monash Health.
In April-June, just 4 per cent of adult patients were transferred from Dandenong Hospital ED to a mental health bed within eight hours, according to official Victorian Agency for Health Information statistics.
At Casey Hospital, none of the adult mental-health transfers occurred within eight hours.
This was the lowest rate in the state, and well below the 44 per cent statewide average.
A Monash Health spokesperson said its Emergency Psychiatric Service (EPS), located in the ED, identifies and actively manages patients who need mental health assistance.
“This ensures patients receive specialist care and support before they transition to a dedicated mental health bed.
“At our emergency departments at Casey Hospital and Dandenong Hospital, mental health care begins the moment a patient is identified as needing support.”
Star News has received reports of patients staying for up to five days.
A South East reader, who is the parent of a frequent ED mental health patient, said they had waited more than 36 hours – not including the waiting room time.
Most waits just to see a doctor could be at least eight hours, let alone to get an ED, he said.
“If you’re a mental-health patient, you then get to wait for the EPS team to come and see you which often is several more hours.
“EPS will then consult with the duty psychiatrist. Often that takes the form of an overnight in ED to wait until the psych sees the patient in the morning.
“If there is consensus that an admission is required, only then will they try to find a bed. More time in the ED waiting for that.
“Often, the admission just does not happen because there are no beds available. So, the patient is sent home.”
The reader said the private mental-health sector was “largely inaccessible”. “Psychiatrists charging $800 plus for a consult assuming you can actually get an appointment.”
Monash Health declined to comment on why such high numbers of Dandenong and Casey mental-health patients were staying in ED for beyond eight hours.
VAHI statistics suggest that mental-health unit beds were full, particularly at Dandenong (99 per cent occupied in April-June).
On average, patients stayed nearly a fortnight in Dandenong and Casey mental health beds, marginally longer than the rest of metro Melbourne.
At Dandenong, 22 per cent of patients occupied beds for 35-plus days. This was more than double the rate of other Melbourne units.
The Department of Health was also asked for the reason behind the waiting times. It didn’t respond by deadline.
