‘Operating beyond capacity’: Doctors slam ‘ruthless’ cuts to Perth’s child mental health beds

Western Australia’s peak body for doctors has called on the government to reverse the “ruthless” decision to cut beds from the state’s only inpatient mental health unit for children under 16, warning the system is already operating “beyond capacity”.

It comes after this masthead revealed Perth Children’s Hospital ward 5A, the state’s inpatient mental health facility for children and teenagers under 16, would reopen with 16 beds instead of 20, once its refurbishment was complete.

Australian Medical Association WA president Dr Kyle Hoath, who is a psychiatrist operating from Subiaco, urged the state government to consult clinicians before any permanent changes were made.

“Ward 5A is a tough unit, and it’s absolutely run at capacity. It’s operating beyond capacity,” Hoath said.

“The move to reduce beds is completely at odds with the reality of what clinicians and families are experiencing on the ground.

“We know there are families presenting to PCH seeking urgent help who cannot access an inpatient bed because capacity is already stretched.”

The announcement of the renovations followed longstanding issues, including the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl by another patient in the unit in 2022.

Hoath said figures provided to this masthead by the Child and Adolescent Health Service, which showed the ward had operated at about 60 per cent capacity over the last four years, were “misleading”.

“They are counting beds as available that are actually left empty for children trialling overnight leave,” Hoath said.

“If their leave doesn’t go to plan they have to return. Presenting these beds as available risks creates a misleading picture of actual capacity within the service.”

Meron Savage, whose daughter Kate, 13, died by suicide in 2020, said she had received an overwhelming response from families since speaking to this masthead about the planned bed cuts.

Kate’s death prompted a review by WA’s chief psychiatrist , which found the child and adolescent mental health system had failed to keep pace with demand and children were being admitted to other hospital wards when specialist mental health beds were unavailable.

“I’ve received a huge response from people in the community over the weekend who have been sent home from the emergency department without being admitted,” Savage said.

“And others who were sent home after a very short admission and were still extremely unwell and suicidal.”