The NSW government insists the mental health system is coping in the face of a mass resignation from public hospital psychiatrists. 8 beds have closed already and the government's asking other health workers to take on extra work. But one of the doctors involved in the walkout says the premier should be called before the coroner if someone gets hurt.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00They've got their own fight over pain conditions, but nurses are among the health workers now
00:09being asked to plug holes left by psychiatrists, as are social workers, psychologists and GPs.
00:17The system is resilient, the system is agile.
00:20We have other health professionals stepping up, putting their hand up to play a role.
00:25The nurses and midwives associations called the government's plan ludicrous, and one
00:29of the psychiatrists who's leaving says the approaches of the Minister and the Premier
00:34are dangerous.
00:35When the disasters happen, and it's when, it's not if, they should be the ones that
00:40are being called in front of the corridors, not the poor social worker or psychologist
00:44or peer support worker who's been put into a position where they have to make a decision
00:49which is beyond their pay grade.
00:51We are not asking anyone to operate outside their scope of practice.
00:55The government says of the 205 resigning psychiatrists, 25 have changed their minds
01:00and 99 have agreed to delay their resignations, but 43 have already departed, with more on
01:07the way.
01:08They've been demanding a 25% single year pay rise to address chronic staff shortages.
01:14Our system has been crumbling for years.
01:16You know, doctors do not take this sort of action lightly.
01:20Psychiatrists say already mental health wards are being merged or closed, but the government
01:25says so far there's been a net loss of just eight beds, all here at Prince of Wales in
01:30Sydney's east.
01:31But with more doctors departing in the coming days, those numbers could well get worse.