by Sabra Lane and Lucy Barbour
A leaked report commissioned by the Federal Government recommends redirecting more than $1 billion in funding from acute hospital care to community-based mental health services.
In Opposition, the Coalition made a review of mental health services a priority and ordered the National Health Commission to conduct a review when it assumed power in 2013.
Former health minister Peter Dutton received the document last November but the review is yet to be made public.
The ABC’s 7.30 program has obtained part of the review, which says the current system is poorly planned and integrated and is a “massive drain on people’s wellbeing”.
It finds “major deficiencies in the response by many of those seeking help for suicidal thinking, attempts or bereavement” and urges a “radical rethink of responses” to mentally ill people seeking help.
The commission found that there was substantial funding within the mental health system but that it was not distributed efficiently, effectively or fairly and it recommended redirecting money from hospital to community based care from 2017.
The recommendation attempts to address the systemic problem of a lack of support for mentally ill patients who are discharged from hospital after attempting suicide.
The commissioners found: “People commonly ‘feel dropped’ from the system, particularly after discharge from inpatient services at a point when they do not feel well enough to be out of hospital and where they have not received therapeutic intervention while in hospital.”
Expert reveals personal tragedy, calls for review to be released
The findings are no surprise to former government mental health adviser Professor John Mendoza, who told 7.30 about his own experience of a recent family member’s suicide.
Last November his nephew Jeff Mendoza warned his family he was planning to kill himself.
Frantic, they called police, who put Mr Mendoza under an emergency examination order, and took him to the Gold Coast University Hospital for an urgent mental health assessment.
Despite a history of multiple suicide attempts, depression, and post-traumatic stress syndrome from his time spent in the Navy more than a decade ago, Mr Mendoza was discharged from hospital the next day.
He took his own life within 30 hours.
His mother, Dianne, was away when he was admitted to hospital and said she felt helpless.
“No-one can even tell me how he left the hospital,” she said.
“I know that they discharged him, I know that they gave him a script, a script.
“He had no wallet, no shoes, he was dressed in a hospital gown.
“I don’t even know how he got home.”
Professor Mendoza is furious about the hospital’s treatment of his nephew.
“I know what service Jeff was afforded when the police brought him to Gold Coast Hospital was, frankly, appalling,” he said.
“A dog hit by a car gets a better standard of care than what he did.
“If he was afforded better care than what he was back on that occasion back in November 2014, he’d be here today.”
‘We should set a 50 per cent reduction target in suicide’
Professor Mendoza argues the system needs urgent reform.
He quit his position as chief adviser on mental health to the Rudd government in 2010 over its inaction and said it was time for the Government to prove it is serious about reform.
“In 2010 and 2011 Tony Abbott made mental health matter,” Professor Mendoza said.
“Now was that merely political opportunism or was the Prime Minister genuine in terms of a commitment to mental health reform?
“I don’t know the answer to that but the longer this report is not released, the more it looks like opportunism.”
Former Australian of the Year and mental health expert Patrick McGorry believes Australia is at a crossroads and said he had faith the Government was committed to releasing the review.
“Well the first thing is to make the public aware of what a preventative killer it actually is,” Professor McGorry said.
“And then we need evidence-based targets to stem the tide and create reductions in suicide.
“For example, in Sweden they set a zero road toll target by 2020.
“We should set a 50 per cent reduction target in suicide over the next five to 10 years.”
The review finds more people die by their own hand than are killed in road accidents or by skin cancer.
And it notes while Australia’s road toll has more than halved in 40 years, there has been little change in the suicide rate, which was 2,535 in 2012: double the road toll.