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Postcode discrimination

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Country towns like Naracoorte are facing “postcode discrimination” when it comes to accessing mental health services and resources.

That’s the view of SA Shadow Minister for Regional Health Services, Penny Pratt, who has attacked the State government for turning a blind eye to the Limestone Coast region and failing to understand the plight of families in need of mental health services.

In an interview with The [Naracoorte] News, Ms Pratt referenced a damning report into rural mental health services in South Australia.

It revealed that when it comes to getting access to a regional psychologist, we were worse off than people in Mongolia.

And this is not stopping there, she claimed.

Ms Pratt said the devastating effects of drought, crippling power prices, cost of living pressures, unreliable internet services, and increased health costs for visiting a GP or a specialist were continuously mounting emotional pressures on many families in the region.

“I am saddened by the plight of limited mental health resources for regional South Australia,” she shared.

“There are too many examples of postcode discrimination. I’ve recently uncovered that those who live on the West Coast and are assessed for a mental health plan by a locum GP will not qualify for a Medicare rebate, and many have stopped their treatment as a costly consequence.

“We do not want to see that happen anywhere else, such as the Limestone Coast.”

Ms Pratt said when it comes to accessing mental health services, country people had fewer options, and they were less likely to be face-to-face.  

“The State Labor Government just doesn’t understand the needs and challenges of country people.

“The South East has experienced a terrible green drought. Our state has no feed and no seed.

“The emotional pressure on families right now is troubling. The only new money in this year’s budget for mental health was $1.1million annually for the Women’s Children’s Hospital, but you have to support your distressed young person to get there first. Of course, the Auditor-General revealed that the overall health budget this year has blown out by nearly a billion dollars.”

She called on the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Chris Picton, and Treasurer Stephen Mullighan to redirect the money they were spending into country mental health.

“Lives depend on it.”

Responding to questions from this newspaper [Naracoorte News], Minister Picton said the entire Australian community—including the Limestone Coast—had faced increasing incidence of mental health and wellbeing concerns over recent decades.

He said this is why more was needed to be done to support better mental health support and prevention, including state and federal governments.

“From the State Government’s perspective, we are doubling the capacity of mental health beds in the Mount Gambier Hospital, which provides the acute services to the Limestone Coast region,” Mr Picton said.

He said this was part of the major upgrade to the Mount Gambier Hospital, which was currently underway and would double the mental health beds from six to twelve in the hospital.

“We have also boosted community mental health psychosocial services, increasing the funding by 42 percent in the past three years—compared to a 19 percent cut that happened under the previous Liberal Government.

“We’ve also invested an additional $3million to increase capacity in community mental health teams across four country local health networks to boost mental health services for older people.”

He said people in the Limestone Coast now had access to a new service—the Mount Gambier Medicare Mental Health Centre, which provided free mental health support in a safe and welcoming environment—and an alternative to attending the emergency department.

“This is a partnership with the Federal Government under the National Partnership Agreement for Suicide Prevention.

“To support the mental health needs of young South Australians, the State Government has introduced one of the first paediatric virtual mental health services in the nation by expanding the child and adolescent virtual care service at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital to cover mental health concerns for children aged up to 18 years.

“This service is available for families across our state to access free of charge, including from the Limestone Coast.”

And to assist the farming communities affected by drought across South Australia, Mr Picton said the State Government had just announced a support package which included $1million for additional health and wellbeing support through the Rural Financial Counselling Service and Family and Business Support Program, and $100,000 for grants of up to $5,000 for the ‘Connecting Communities Events Program’, for groups to host events that support the community.

Regional services

According to the State Government, the Limestone Coast Local Health Network has two resident consultant psychiatrists based in Mount Gambier, plus visiting consultant psychiatrists providing outpatient services across the region— including face-to-face appointments at smaller hospitals— triaged according to clinical need.

There are also three psychiatry registrar positions based in the region supporting inpatient, community, and consultation liaison services. Telepsychiatry appointments with clinicians in Adelaide are also arranged when required. In an emergency, people can seek assessment and treatment from their nearest emergency department or call Triple Zero (000). All referrals for a specialist community mental health service are triaged and discussed with a consultant psychiatrist on a daily basis (Monday–Friday).

And referrals triaged as urgent are contacted within 24-48 hours and booked for an urgent psychiatry review if required, while those assessed as non-urgent wait up to around three months.

A person living in a rural area can access mental health telephone support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling Mental Health Triage at 13 14 65.  

The Naracoorte News 11 December 2024

This article appeared in the  Naracoorte News.

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