More than 200 NSW public psychiatrists resign

More than 200 of NSW's 295 public psychiatrists handed in their resignation in December. Lifeline 13 11 14. Video by AAP

Transcript

00:00We're here today to hear from some of our ASMOP members about the intending resignation

00:07of over 200 senior SAR specialists within the New South Wales health system,

00:12which is going to put the health system, not just mental health, but the whole health system

00:18under enormous strain. My name is Lex and I'm a doctor in Western Sydney.

00:22I've worked there for about 15 years. ED is the canary in the cage of the health system,

00:30so the front line, and we've already had issues retaining staff and overwhelming demand for our

00:36services. Our friends in psychiatry have had a significant issue with their workforce. Over

00:42one third of the mental health positions have been unfilled and this has been known about for

00:47the last 16 months. We're taking the opportunity to have a look around the New South Wales

00:52Statewide Emergency Mental Health Operations Centre that is here at New South Wales Health HQ.

00:58That's one of the contingency measures we've put in place to manage the impact of mass resignation

01:03on the mental health system. Anybody who is experiencing a mental health problem or is

01:08caring for someone who is experiencing a mental health problem should not hesitate to reach out

01:13to our services. We are doing everything that we can to maintain our services to a high standard

01:20and good quality.