Fear for psychiatric care funding

Press, 28 November 1987, Page 3

Fear for psychiatric care funding

Mental health services in hospitals and the community might suffer if cuts were made in health funding, said the chairman of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Dr Les Ding, yesterday. In times of financial stringency, mental health funding was particularly vulnerable to arbitrary cuts, he said. “Whatever crystallises out of the Task Force on Hospital and Related Ser-

vices report, it is highly likely that many administrators will be most efficiency conscious, and not be clinicians and probably not mentalhealth profession-based,” said Dr Ding. “There is a real risk of unfavourable decisions regarding mental health services arising from arbitrariness or lobbying by other medical specialities.”

Small psychiatric facilities, such as those

within general hospitals, were likely to be rated lower in priority than other areas of medicine and were therefore likely to be “picked off,” said Dr Ding. “I am very concerned that with the greater need for financial stringency psychiatry may not be able to compete with ‘high-tech’ specialities. “If it comes out that 10 or 20 per cent of hospital funding be reduced, I

would have great worries for the future of mental health services.”

After a spate of news media reports, there was a strong expectation that more psychiatric services would be developed in the community, but these could only go ahead with adequate funding and innovative health planning, he said.

“For example, at Sunnyside Hospital, if our budget is not reduced, I

believe we can devolve services into the community but if our budget gets cut I don’t believe we can.” Traditional clinical treatment facilities such as hospital wards and out-patients should not close once community facilities were established, said Dr Ding. “I think there is a risk that people would expect too much from community facilities especially if

they believe they could be developed and inpatient hospital services de-emphasised. “Those who are misinformed still believe that community-based facilities are much cheaper. It is essential that community extensions be seen as something that will complement existing services rather than replacing them.” The uncertain financial times created a fav-

ourable environment for positive innovations, said Dr Ding. “There is an important need for health professionals and community, groups with real concern for the mentally ill and our total community well-being to be medically and politically vigilant “Unless the opportunity is seized our mental health services could be at stake.”