Nine in ten psychiatrists say workforce shortages are risking patient care in NSW. Three in ten are considering leaving in the next five years.
A new nationwide survey of 1,269 psychiatrists conducted by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), has highlighted the pressures mounting on psychiatrists working in NSW’s mental health system, as 74 per cent reported experiencing multiple symptoms of burnout in the past three years.
Of the 367 psychiatrists surveyed in NSW:
- 82 per cent of those who experienced symptoms of burnout in the past three years said they had reduced work satisfaction and loss of motivation to work and 80 per cent said they felt exhausted and drained all the time in the past three years.
- 81 per cent said they observed an increase in the symptoms of burnout amongst colleagues in the past three years.
- 82 per cent said workforce shortages and inadequate staffing are contributing to burnout amongst psychiatrists, followed by under resourcing of the mental health system (78 per cent), workloads and increasing complexity of mental health presentations (69 per cent).
Previous AIHW data has indicated that there are zero psychiatrists in many remote parts of NSW, causing a big gap in mental health service delivery for communities in the bush.
Chair of the NSW branch of the RANZCP, Dr Angelo Virgona, said the findings underscore the severity of the workforce shortage crisis in the state’s mental health system. ‘There is a critical and chronic shortage of psychiatrists in NSW,’ said Dr Virgona.
‘It is not just the public sector where there has been an ongoing drain of psychiatrists, but also the private sector, with closed books and long waiting lists. Private hospitals provide about half the admissions for mental health disorders in Australia, but many are currently at risk of closure due to psychiatry shortages.
‘As a result, patients are having to navigate an overburdened mental healthcare system and are often met with closed doors everywhere,’ he said. ‘The system is so fragmented that you have to be a genius or lucky to figure out how and where to get help.’
Through the cracks
Dr Virgona said some of the most vulnerable people with acute mental illnesses fall through the cracks because help is too far away, too long a wait, too expensive or, for people in the bush, simply unavailable. ‘And the workforce shortage has placed an unsustainable burden on psychiatrists in the system. Hence the burn-out as seen in our survey.
‘We are working tirelessly to provide care for our patients, with increasing demand and not enough hands on deck,’ he said. ‘We are often having to provide less than optimal care because the range of interventions just can’t be provided, aren’t available to the bulk of the country or both.
‘We don’t have time to liaise with other health providers, and patients can’t access enough of the therapy they need due to cost or lack of practitioners. It’s a lottery system, but accessing lifesaving, vital mental healthcare should not be.’
Dr Virgona said the federal and NSW governments needed to work together to ensure that the mental health services in NSW are adequately resourced, with targeted and sustainable investment in the psychiatry workforce.
Mental health equals economic health
‘Good mental health is good for the economy, as evidenced by the Productivity Commission,’ said Dr Virgona. ‘We’re calling on Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Health, Mark Butler to invest in bolstering the mental health workforce in Australia’s most populous state, NSW, and its remotest corners.
‘In the 2024 federal budget, we’re expecting to see dedicated funding to improve the psychiatry workforce and training pipeline in the state, with incentives aimed at attracting and retaining people into the profession and in rural and regional areas.
‘Getting Australians the help they need, when they need it and where they need it from a skilled and well supported workforce, can go a long way in prevention and early intervention into mental health conditions.
‘With affordable and timely access to mental healthcare, rural communities can live their lives meaningfully and to their fullest,’ said Dr Virgona.
