NEARLY 30 failed attempts to secure an appointment with a psychiatrist has prompted a carer to call for urgent changes to the healthcare system.
Deanna* cares for a friend living with complex mental health issues in Seaford. She says that they have had 28 referrals for a psychiatrist appointment knocked back over the last five years. “He has a great mental health doctor, GP, and psychologist that have been working with us but their hands are tied and they can only do so much without a psychiatrist appointment,” she said. “We have had referrals from Melbourne to Queensland to get him an appointment and have been knocked back time and time again. So far we are up to 28 referrals and all 28 have either knocked it back or not answered.”
After five years of frustration, Deanna is now calling for the healthcare system to become more accessible for people who may struggle to afford help. “I have started working one shift a week to help with the cost of medication, but it doesn’t go far with rent, bills, and food,” she said. “At times we go without – there is no lavish lifestyle, and at the end of every fortnight there is nothing left to put away to try and save something to put toward an appointment.
“This breaks my heart as I have watched and seen how this mental health system is destroying him and we don’t know where to turn to – all he wants to do is get on the right medication and try and get back to working and living his life. This is not living, this is hell.”
Deanna has written to state and federal MPs to ask for help. Dunkley MP Jodie Belyea said the establishment of “Medicare Mental Health Centres” would help connect residents with psychiatrist services. “The federal government is establishing 61 Medicare Mental Health Centres, where people will be able to walk in and get free help including from a psychiatrist or psychologist,” Belyea said. “The rollout is underway with 26 already operating around Australia.”
*Editor’s note: Last name supplied and withheld by the editor for privacy reasons
First published in the Frankston Times – 3 September 2024