The challenges facing the public mental health sector: implications of the Victorian Psychiatry workforce project

Abstract

Objectives: This paper reviews the major findings of the Victorian Psychiatry Attraction, Recruitment and Retention Needs Analysis Project and considers some of the implications for the psychiatrist workforce working in public sector psychiatry. Conclusions: The report provides a snapshot of the issues that are impairing the ability of Victorian psychiatrists to comprehensively treat those in our community who have severe mental illness. As the report shows, the issues impacting the profession are multi-faceted and complex, yet surmountable.

Through the looking-glass: private and public practice psychiatry in the RANZCP

“…Private practice is an essential domain of psychiatric practice in Australia and is a growing area in New Zealand. With the winnowing of the public sector, 2 private practice may well be the face of psychiatry in the future in Australia. Private psychiatrists are members for whom the RANZCP can better serve and also represent in mental health policy, planning and practice.…”

“…An increasing number of public sector psychiatrists are leaving for private practice, as identified in the Victorian Workforce Project. 2 The official representative body within the RANZCP is the Section of Private Practice Psychiatrists (SPPP). It is of concern that the representative committee for the Section has often been struggling to obtain a quorum.…”

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“…In the interim, the NSW government Psychiatry Workforce Plan commits to state-wide workforce modelling to identify workforce requirements to 2035, involving psychiatrists in design and implementation of local Psychiatrist workforce planning: contexts, considerations and recommendations Psychiatry D espite higher rates of mental illness than the general population, 1 people with an intellectual disability (ID) experience multiple barriers to accessing appropriately equipped mental health services. 2 Generic mental health services are often illprepared for the complex presentations and multiple comorbidities frequently associated with ID, and lack knowledge of how to make necessary adaptations to practice. 3 Recent recommendations have called for the implementation of specialist ID mental health (IDMH) services to support mainstream services.…”

“…1 The Victorian Psychiatry Workforce project highlighted the challenges facing recruitment and retention of psychiatrists in public mental health services, which included zealous regulation, blame culture and excessive demand. 2 The most recent report on Australia's psychiatric workforce projected a shortfall of 125 psychiatrists per year by 2030. 3 There were over 3,400 psychiatrists employed in Australia in 2018, representing 3.5% of medical practitioners and 9.8% of specialists.…”

Clinical update on public and private psychiatric practice shared-care partnerships – Can the twain work together?

“…The Victorian Psychiatry Workforce project highlighted a trend evident in most Australian jurisdictions - that trained psychiatrists are increasingly opting out to work in the private sector. 1 This is especially so as the work satisfaction and working conditions of the public sector have declined. 2 This spurs re-consideration of opportunities for public and private sectors to work collaboratively to enhance the quality of mental healthcare, particularly since recent research showing that the private psychiatric hospital sector is complementary to the public.…”