The Doctors Union (ASMOF) said the NSW Industrial Relations Commission鈥檚 ruling on October 3 vindicates its case on the urgent need to for more funding to the mental health system.
The IRC also awarded gave an interim appropriate pay increase to support NSW psychiatrists and ease pressure on the mental health system in crisis.
ASMOF Councillor Dr Ian Korbel said the decision 鈥渋s a major win for psychiatrists across NSW, who, since January this year, have courageously put their livelihoods and careers on the line to stand up for a better mental health system for their patients.
鈥淭oday, after months of hearings, expert testimony and extensive deliberation, the NSW IRC has finally accepted ASMOF鈥檚 arguments that there was a crisis in the NSW mental health system, which was having an adverse impact on the community, and something urgently needed to be done about it.鈥
The IRC accepted that the crisis in NSW was caused by an acute shortage of psychiatrists, stemming from low pay and unsustainable working conditions. It ruled that a 20% attraction and retention allowance should be granted to help address the crisis.
Korbel said this modest and necessary pay rise 鈥渨ill help bring psychiatrist remuneration in line with other states and territories鈥 and help attract and retain the psychiatrists needed to 鈥渟hore up the crumbling NSW mental health system鈥.
He told a media conference outside the court that 鈥渘one of us thought at the beginning of the year we鈥檇 have to be here [at the IRC]. We thought we鈥檇 be able to negotiate with the state government 鈥 today what was found today in court which is that the public health sector is struggling in the psychiatric area.鈥
Korbel said doctors are mainly concerned with the systemic issues, many of which still have to be resolved. He said the NSW government had not been interested in discussing that, instead making out that doctors are only interested in a wage rise. He said the court鈥檚 decision vindicated the doctors in finding that 鈥渢he public health sector is struggling in the psychiatric area鈥.
He pointed to three areas which need serious attention are: workforce, investment in community mental health sector and housing for patients which have severe mental illness. 鈥淭hey are the focus of what we wanted to change. Unfortunately, they did not want to hear this; they wanted to see it as an industrial action about money and it鈥檚 not.鈥
Korbel said psychiatrists, who he said like to think of themselves as altruistic, are still very upset about the Labor government鈥檚 refusal to seriously engage. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had 10 months when the system has been struggling. We need investment 鈥 NSW, in particular, are the laggards; we have the least funding for mental health in the country. We don鈥檛 even have a dedicated budget for mental health.鈥
Victoria and Queensland are using payroll tax to fund the mental health budget, Korbel said. 鈥淚f we asked the general public, they would say that mental health a vital concern for them.鈥
Korbel said the investment in community mental health means that people will not need to come into hospital and sit around in emergency departments. 鈥淲e need investment in housing so that people aren鈥檛 living rough on the streets, or put in jail. Ten percent of prisoners in NSW have a serious mental illness. That鈥檚 well over 1000 patients who are in prison when they should be having treatment. And prison doesn鈥檛 help them.鈥
He said the doctors walked out earlier this year due to despair over pressures that have been building up for five years. They want to return but 鈥渨hether they will be allowed to return is not clear鈥.
The IRC has ordered an interim attraction and retention 20% for staff specialist psychiatrists which will take effect shortly. It did not grant a claim for a doctors-in-training allowance and or other measures sought for an updated award including a joint staff committee to address workforce shortages and appropriate support for psychiatrist trainees.
Korbel said psychiatry trainees have little incentive to start, or continue their training which puts 鈥渢he future pipeline of psychiatrists for the NSW mental health system at risk鈥.