People with mental health issues in Victoria are encountering alarming wait times at hospital emergency departments, often finding these facilities as their only recourse. According to the Victorian Agency for Health Information, a mere 4% of adult patients were transferred from an emergency department to a mental health bed at Dandenong Hospital within eight hours during the April-June 2025 period. This figure represents the lowest rate in the state and is significantly below the 44% statewide average.
Calls for enhanced community support for individuals with mental health conditions are growing, as these long wait times highlight the increasing number of people seeking help at hospital emergency departments. The Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia (MIFA), a not-for-profit organization, has reported that 460,000 people lack access to essential community support for their mental health conditions, warning that this number is poised to rise.
Community Support: A Necessary Intervention
Currently, the only alternatives to emergency department visits are general practitioners who can provide referrals to specialists. Tony Stevenson, CEO of MIFA, emphasizes the urgent need for a joint plan by state and federal governments to fund and provide psychosocial support services in Greater Dandenong.
“Community mental health organizations are ready and able to roll out these services if the funding is available,” Stevenson stated. “Psychosocial support services can support people to stay well and live safely and independently in their community. This will reduce or prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.”
Stevenson points out a significant gap in psychosocial support services, which are designed to offer community mental health services by trained support workers at a person’s home, family, and community. These services aim to help individuals live independently, addressing needs such as housing, employment, family connections, social inclusion, and daily living skills.
Personal Stories Highlight Systemic Issues
Noelene, a local resident of Greater Dandenong, recounted her experience of waiting up to 12 hours in the Dandenong Hospital emergency department for her daughter, who suffers from severe anxiety, depression, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She noted that the wait times themselves exacerbate anxiety.
“We have a doctor’s clinic that dispenses her medications. They are good, and she can go to triage there instead of the hospital if it’s during opening hours,” Noelene shared.
Her daughter, now 24, has been on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for four years, receiving crucial support that has significantly reduced her need for emergency department visits.
Systemic Challenges and National Implications
A report by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) last year highlighted that patients spent an average of seven hours in an emergency department before being admitted to a hospital in 2022-2023. The report, titled ‘Public Hospital Report Card: Mental Health Edition,’ described the mental health system as being in crisis, with longer wait times, reduced services, and a doubling in the number of patients requiring urgent attention.
The report revealed “record high waiting times and record low per-person bed capacity,” with mental health wards offering only 27 beds per 100,000 Australians, the lowest per-person capacity figure on record. Additionally, 10% of patients spent more than 23 hours waiting.
MIFA has advocated for stronger connections between the community and individuals facing mental health issues, particularly highlighted during World Mental Health Day on October 10. Monash Health, the operator of Dandenong Hospital, was contacted for comment but has yet to respond.
The announcement comes as mental health advocates continue to push for systemic changes that would alleviate the burden on emergency departments and provide more comprehensive community-based support. As the situation evolves, the focus remains on developing sustainable solutions that address the root causes of these extended wait times and improve the overall mental health care system in Victoria and beyond.
