Ongoing NSW public sector mental health crisis highlights weaknesses in service provision and public safety

Recent tragic deaths alleged to have arisen from the unauthorised departures of involuntarily detained individuals at Cumberland hospital highlight weaknesses in mental health service provision in New South Wales and beyond. These events occur in the context of the mass resignation of psychiatrists over quality and safety of public mental healthcare in NSW. Overall resourcing of health professionals and infrastructure remains parlous. New South Wales has dropped to the lowest expenditure per capita on public mental health services, according to the AIHW, and needs to invest considerably more to reach the national average and remedy fundamental systemic weaknesses. There remains a need for systemic reform to provide integrated hospital and community care, as well as supported accommodation and welfare for people with severe mental illness.