Public at risk as patients escape
MORE than 50 dangerous patients have escaped from mental health units on the Gold Coast in an eightmonth period.
The Opposition has accused the State Government of attempting to cover up the scale of the problem, which was exposed in the annual report released by the office of the Chief Psychiatrist.
The Coast is currently providing secure facilities for 537 involuntary patients, some who have lengthy criminal records while others have been locked up after displaying dangerous behaviour.
Gold Coast police are forced to hunt down the patients once they are alerted by Gold Coast Health about the escapes.
Police Union president Ian Leavers said the shortage of high security mental health beds posed a threat to the community and was a drain on police resources.
“The reality is that police find that there are so few beds in hospitals for mental health assessment and treatment that hospitals are becoming a revolving door for patients that are in serious need of assistance,” he said. “This problem is compounded with the current ice epidemic as well.
“While some offenders engage in criminal behaviour there are many people who are suffering with mental health issues that just cannot access appropriate treatments and as a result police are often called to assist these people in the community which can be a drain on police resources too.”
The Annual Report of the Chief Psychiatrist, tabled in State Parliament, shows 52 patients had escaped from mental health units and another 60 inpatient absences had occurred on the Coast.
From July 2016 to March this year, 124 patients had failed to turn up for appointments, bringing the total number of absences without permission recorded to 236.
Only Brisbane (310) and Cairns (251) recorded higher inpatient absences for the period. On the Coast, 105 patients were charged with 149 offences.
Opposition health spokesman and Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek described the report as “more about coverup than accountability”.
“From March this year, crimes involving mental health patients were kept secret,” Mr Langbroek said.
“What we learnt is 129 patients on supervision orders committed serious criminal offences including murder and rape between July 2016 and March 2017.
“Between July 2016 and March 2017 we saw 1580 occasions where mental health patients on strict supervision orders committed offences in the community.”
Mr Langbroek questioned why the Government had released the annual report with a bundle of others. “This latest report by the Chief Psychiatrist confirms our mental health system is in crisis and with a record number of patients on orders things look set to get worse.”
THIS LATEST REPORT BY THE CHIEF PSYCHIATRIST CONFIRMS OUR MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM IS IN CRISIS