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Data shows longer ED stays for those with mental health issues

A new AMA report has found patients with mental health-related conditions are spending longer amounts of time in emergency departments.

More patients with mental health conditions are also arriving by ambulance or police services.

AMA president Dr Danielle McMullen says the report doesn’t specifically cover regional Australia, but they know these issues are worse in regional areas.

Patients with mental health conditions are spending seven hours on average in emergency departments, the longest on record.

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The AMA President said this is the “worst year in terms of the access our patients with mental health needs have to our public hospitals”.

“We’ve now got unacceptable wait times for these patients where their emergency care has finished. And yet the average wait time for a mental health bed is now seven hours, and that’s two hours longer than it was just a couple of years ago.”

Emergency Specialist Representative Dr Sarah Whitelaw said there is a blow-out in emergency department length of stay for these patients.

“One in ten patients is now waiting 23 hours in a noisy, loud, crowded emergency department waiting for that mental health bed,” Whitelaw said.

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