People with mental illness are still entering our hospital system too often for short-term and repeat admissions. Until we have fully funded mental health services in the community to support people to stay well and reduce their reliance on Emergency Departments our mental health crisis will continue.
This is just one of the findings from a new Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC) Report commissioned by the Mental Health Coalition of South Australia (MHCSA). The MHCSA asked PWC to help review the evidence and outline the case for investing in psychosocial supports (community based mental health services) to end our mental health crisis.
They found that 15% of patients discharged from hospital are readmitted within 28 days. This cycle causes distress and harm to people with mental illness. This cycle can be broken with a greater investment in mental health services delivered in the community that work with people to manage their day to day activities and keep them out of acute care.
These services are receiving just 6.4% of the overall mental health budget, meanwhile the cost of treating someone with mental illness in our hospitals is more expensive than the national average.
South Australians with mental illness currently spend more time in emergency departments and other hospital-based services than they would need to if there was adequate access to psychosocial supports that support them to stay well in their homes and out of our hospital system.
Geoff Harris Executive Director of Mental Health Coalition of SA said: "We know that giving people the support they need in the community allows them to live well and stay out of hospital. Yet most people do not know what services are out there yet this support is vital in helping people.
"This report shows that not enough people are connected to psychosocial supports or community based services that help them to manage their mental health challenges on a daily basis, overcome stressors in their lives and address other factors that impact on their mental health."
"We have commissioned this report and listened to the voices of lived experience. There is deep concern about insufficient support to help people stay well in the community and get on with their lives, especially after an admission to hospital. We won't fix the whole system until we fix this part."
Ross Womersley CEO of the South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) said: "This timely report from the MHCSA helps us create a much fuller picture of what is not happening for people living with mental illness in our community. We know that people want to stay out of hospital and need a series of support services to help them to do that.
"We know that housing is key, but it's much more than having a house. For someone with significant mental health issues it's crucial that they have the day-to-day psychosocial support that helps them stay healthy and rebuild their engagement and contribution. That's the type of support that will help people not only stay out of hospitals but will enable people to have somewhere safe and supportive to return to when they are discharged. Without this it only exacerbates their mental health crisis."
This report found about 30% of mental health hospital inpatients could potentially be discharged if appropriate supports and housing services were available in the community.
Key Findings Include:
The current average costs to provide care in the hospital setting in South Australia are higher than the national average. Across Australia, the average cost per inpatient bed day in a psychiatric hospital (non-acute wards) was $953.78,compared with a cost per day of $1,554.25 for South Australia.
51.4% Of people in metropolitan Adelaide receiving a psychosocial support program said it helped them avoid hospital admission. This is even higher in regional South Australia, with 60.7% of participants avoiding admission.
Not enough people are connected to psychosocial supports that would enable them to better manage their illness on a daily basis, overcome stressors in their lives and address other factors that can undermine their mental health.
About 30% of mental health hospital inpatients could potentially be discharged if appropriate clinical and accommodation services were available in the community.
By 2018-19 just 6.4% of the SA mental health budget was allocated to community services provided by NGOs – a 30% reduction in real terms from 2014-5.
People with lived experience of mental illness have expressed concern about insufficient psychosocial supports available in community settings and those that are available are hard to get into.
