The Victorian Greens have accused Labor of ignoring repeated warnings about dangerous conditions in the state's youth mental health system, after revelations of patient deaths, violence, and an exodus of senior clinicians at Victoria's flagship youth mental health service. Young people already struggle to access mental health support, and this situation risks leaving some of the most vulnerable without proper care.
The Age has today revealed two recent patient deaths at the Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service have been referred to the coroner, WorkSafe is monitoring safety concerns and at least six senior clinicians have quit amid allegations of deteriorating patient care.
The revelations come months after the Victorian Greens raised remarkably similar concerns about the Royal Children's Hospital's Banksia adolescent mental health ward directly with the government.
In March, the Greens wrote to then Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas after staff raised concerns about severe understaffing and overcrowding, repeated Code Blacks, violence and assaults against staff, possible breaches of the Mental Health Act and multiple matters reportedly before WorkSafe. The Greens never received a response.
The Greens say today's revelations raise serious questions about how widespread the problems are across Victoria's youth mental health system and what warnings the government has received but failed to act on.
As stated by Victorian Greens health spokesperson Dr Sarah Mansfield:
"Months ago, we wrote to the Labor Government after staff at another youth mental health ward raised alarmingly similar concerns about understaffing, overcrowding, violence and unsafe care. We never even received a response.
"Now we're hearing of patient deaths, senior specialists walking away and workers saying Victoria's flagship youth mental health service is becoming unsafe. Our young people, their families, and mental health workers deserve better.
"After a Royal Commission found Victoria's mental health system was catastrophically broken, the government promised families it would rebuild it. Instead, experienced clinicians are leaving and frontline workers are again sounding the alarm.
"Our young people are already desperately underserved by our mental health system, and this crisis risks leaving the most vulnerable without the quality care they need.
"Labor must urgently investigate what is happening across Victoria's youth inpatient mental health services, including Banksia, and explain what warnings the government has received, what it has done about them and why these problems have been allowed to get this far."
