Carers NSW has raised serious concerns about the impacts for family and friend carers of reduced access to affordable psychiatry services across the NSW health system, particularly in the context of existing workforce shortages in the mental health sector.
The pending resignations of a large number of public psychiatrists in NSW comes at a time when carers and those they support are already facing significant barriers to accessing mental health services. Findings from the Carers NSW 2024 National Carer Survey underscore the many groups who rely on psychiatry services. Of respondents in NSW supporting someone accessing psychiatry services:
- 83.3% cared for someone living with mental health conditions,
- 43.8% cared for someone living with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and
- 35.2% cared for someone living with ADHD.
The potential further reduction of affordable psychiatry services across the state will place significant additional strain on family and friend carers, who already shoulder intensive responsibilities. On average, carers of people accessing psychiatry services in NSW provide approximately 90 hours of care per week, with more than half providing over 60 hours of care. Carers and the people they care for already face significant challenges accessing essential mental health care in NSW. The Carers NSW 2024 National Carer Survey revealed:
- 43.5% reported long waiting periods to access mental health services for the person they care for.
- 24.4% could not access mental health services at the level required, and
- 28.2% said necessary mental health services were not available locally.
These barriers are exacerbated in regional and remote areas, where equitable access to mental health services remains a significant concern. The findings of the NSW Parliamentary inquiry into equity, accessibility, and delivery of outpatient and community mental health care emphasise the urgent need for affordable, locally available supports. Carers NSW warns that any further reduction in service availability will increase the caring load on families, exacerbate carer strain, and negatively impact carers' health and wellbeing. Quotes from carers captured in the Carers NSW 2024 National Carer Survey reveal the impact of mental health service access challenges:
- "The person I care for ideally needs ongoing psychiatric support but does not get it because there seem to be no public health services in our area, and private psychiatrists are so exorbitantly expensive that they are basically unavailable for people on the Disability Support Pension."
- "I have two adult children with mental health conditions... The public system (inpatient and community) is completely overburdened, with long waiting lists, and variability in the quality of care provided."
To address these challenges, Carers NSW calls for:
- Increased investment in the mental health system to expand access to affordable and appropriate services and supports, especially in regional and rural areas.
- Strategic initiatives to grow and strengthen the mental health, health, and care workforces, and
- Greater awareness and identification of carers in mental health service settings to improve uptake of services like Carer Gateway and the NSW Carer Support Program and Family and Carer Mental Health Program.
Carers NSW joins mental health peak bodies BEING Mental Health Consumers, Mental Health Carers NSW (MHCN), and the Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) in urging the NSW Government to prioritise investment in mental health reform. Carers NSW looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the NSW Government to build a robust mental health system that meets the needs of consumers, carers, and communities across the state. Carer Gateway offers in person and phone counselling to assist carers in times of stress and overwhelm (Monday to Friday) 8am-5pm on 1800 422 737. Carers NSW is the Carer Gateway Service Provider in the Hunter New England, Central Coast and North Coast regions of NSW. If you or someone you care for needs immediate emotional support
