Recent findings from the Australian Medical Association (AMA) reveal a troubling trend in South Australia’s emergency departments (EDs), where one-in-10 mental health patients are waiting more than 35 hours for a hospital bed. This duration, equivalent to a day-and-a-half, represents the worst national outcome for this metric, according to the AMA’s Public Hospital Report Card: Mental Health Edition.
Rising Wait Times Over the Decade
The report compared patient wait times between 2023-24 and previous financial years, finding that an admitted mental health patient currently waits an average of 11 hours and 18 minutes. AMA SA president Peter Subramaniam emphasized that emergency departments are not designed to provide optimal care for mental health conditions, and prolonged waits can exacerbate patient conditions.
Systemic Pressures and Workforce Strain
The AMA report notes that while South Australia has a higher-than-average number of mental health beds relative to population, the rate of ED presentations for mental health issues is also above the national average. Median wait times for admitted patients have increased by nearly four-and-a-half hours compared to four years ago—a 70 percent increase over the past decade. Extended wait times and ambulance ramping are symptomatic of systemic gridlock, with staff overburdened and facilities under-resourced.
Government Response: New Beds and Hospital Expansions
In response, the South Australian government has opened 48 new hospital beds, including 24 dedicated mental health beds at Noarlunga Hospital, as part of a $74 million expansion. Health Minister Chris Picton highlighted that these beds follow a rehabilitation model designed to reduce the revolving-door effect, giving patients longer stays to ensure more stable outcomes upon discharge.
Additional beds are planned at Modbury Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre as part of ongoing hospital expansions. However, Minister Picton acknowledged that emergency department wait times primarily affect patients with severe conditions such as schizophrenia and acute psychosis, who cannot easily be redirected to Medicare mental health services or other community care programs.
Calls for Comprehensive Mental Health Policies
Dr Subramaniam stressed that increasing hospital bed numbers alone is insufficient. He advocates for expanded access to psychologists, acute care crisis teams, and GP shared care programs. Ahead of the upcoming state election, the AMA is urging all political parties to implement fully funded, workforce-informed mental health policies to provide sustainable solutions for the community.
Political Debate and Opposition Perspectives
Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia criticized ongoing ramping and extended wait times, calling for significant investment in mental health resources. He indicated that the opposition will announce a suite of mental health policies while emphasizing that prolonged ED waits have compounded the state’s mental health challenges over the past 41 months.
Conclusion
The AMA report underscores the urgent need to address systemic pressures in South Australia’s health system. Without coordinated investment in both hospital infrastructure and community-based mental health services, extended emergency department waits are likely to continue, posing serious risks to patient outcomes and overall public health.
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