Expansion plan for psych units

New hospitals will all have 32-bed facilities

DEDICATED psychiatric units will be added to three existing hospitals and all future regional hospitals in order to deal with the high demand for care in the province.

Western Cape health department spokesperson Marika Champion said facilities were overburdened, with beds at full occupancy and long waiting lists.

“Despite various outreach initiatives by psychiatrists, psychiatry registrars and psychologists, our bed occupancies across the service are generally at 100% and over and we have long waiting lists for beds in psychiatric hospitals,” she said.

“The three priority areas requiring a dedicated psychiatric unit of 32 beds each are Khayelitsha Hospital, a custom-built unit at Eerste River hospital replacing the temporary buildings and New Somerset Hospital.”

These additions are part of a development plan with the national Health Department and will be built “as funding becomes available”.

Champion said all new hospitals built in the province will also have units with 32 beds dedicated to psychiatric patients.

This includes: Helderberg Hospital, which is budgeted to receive a new emergency centre this year; Victoria Hospital, where upgrades are under construction; and the future Klipfontein Regional Hospital – which will replace the defunct GF Jooste facility.

“The World Health Organisation has indicated that the burden of disease due to mental disorders will further increase over the next decades in countries such as our own, as infectious diseases are tackled,” she said.

Meanwhile, a 2018 report on mental health in the Western Cape said that while available data is unreliable and old, it indicates that the province has the highest prevalence of common mental health disorders in South Africa.

HIV, substance abuse, pregnancy and experience of trauma are all contributing factors.

There is only one representative study that has measured mental health in South Africa – the South African Stress and Health Study – which dates back to 2004 and surveyed just over 4300 people around the country.

The study found that over the course of a lifetime, 30.3% of adults in South Africa will suffer from a mental disorder.

There are four specialised psychiatric hospitals in the province, providing 1746 beds. Lentegeur Hospital is the biggest, followed by Valkenberg, Stikland and Alexandra hospitals. All are within the Cape Town metro.

“For the more serious mental illnesses, such as psychosis combined with violent behaviour, the first point of call will usually be the emergency unit at the district hospital in the area where the person is residing.

“If the hospital has a dedicated psychiatric unit and they can treat the patient, the patient will remain there for stabilisation and treatment. This allows for a 72-hour assessment if required,” she said.

Champion said it is also important to determine whether a patient’s behaviour is caused by drug abuse, which can cause similar symptoms.