An urgent call to improve mental health facilities in Queensland as the ABC confirms the suicide of 19 patients in six years.

The Queensland College of Psychiatrists says the state government needs to spend “hundreds of millions” of dollars to upgrade decades-old mental health wards, and the number is about the number of patients dying in suicides in public hospitals in the last six years.

Warning: This article contains references to mental health and suicide.

ABC News has confirmed that 19 mental health patients have committed suicide while in the care of mental health facilities across Queensland since 2018.

Such deaths are one of ten types of sentinel events reported nationally – defined by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) as “totally preventable adverse patient safety events”. .

Three of the deaths occurred at the 60-bed unit at The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH) in Brisbane over a 16-month period, with two other patients surviving suicide attempts over the same period.

An external review commissioned by Metro North Health executives was released publicly last night.

It found two psychiatric wards at TPCH were beset by staff shortages, rising demand and aging services that were “not fit for purpose”.

“Inpatient facilities do not meet modern guidelines for mental health services, do not contribute to the sanity and well-being of clients, and pose many potential risks for clients and workers,” the report said.

Speaking as president of the Queensland branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Professor Brett Emmerson said every suicide was “a tragedy”.

“It is one of the reasons why we have called for the urgent repair of the existing units,” he said.

“Those two wards [at TPCH]along with three Royal Brisbane wards, one Caboolture ward, a PA mental ward… all 25 or 30 years old.”

When asked if new buildings were needed, Professor Emmerson said: “It will be hundreds of millions [of dollars] to do it, but the answer is yes. “

An experienced psychiatrist said that community-based mental health services also need significant reinforcement, with about 2,000 health workers needed across the country.

“If you have mental health services in the community that work better than they do now, you have less reason to admit people,” he said.

Professor Emmerson said the new state government tax to help fund mental health services was not enough.

“There’s a lot of evidence that mental health is still not a priority — it’s not a national priority, it’s not a federal government priority,” he said.

State Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said services across the country were seeing an increase in referrals and Queensland’s mental health tax was helping to address the problem.

“Every suicide has a tragic and life-changing impact on families and communities, and I send my deepest condolences to those affected,” he said.

“Queensland has seen far fewer inpatient suicides than NSW and Victoria. But ideally, it could be zero.”

“All hospital and health services are participating in the Zero Suicide in Health Care Initiative, which aims to improve suicide care across the country.”

Ms Fentiman said the state government had invested in improving services for people at risk of suicide before and after hospital, which included police and ambulance responders, crisis support centres, emergency services. follow-up care, and disaster resilience components.

Urgent safety work is underway

Metro North Hospital and Health Services has announced a $5 million commitment to improve emergency services at the TPCH mental health facility, and most of the review team’s 22 recommendations have already been implemented. dealt with.

Metro North Health chief operating officer Jane Hancock said the service provided “ongoing support” to loved ones who had died.

“People should not be afraid to go to Prince Charles Hospital if they need to get mental health care, we have put in place good rehabilitation measures, we have increased the nursing staff within the mental health center at the Hospital of Prince Charles,” said Adjunct Professor Hancock.

The new $14 million mental health Crisis Stabilization Facility at TPCH is scheduled to open on September 16 and will provide six short-term beds and six respites.

Ms Hancock said Metro North was continuing to “negotiate for additional resources” from the state government.

Ms Fentiman said the government had allocated $9.9 million to Metro North Health to support the implementation of 22 recommendations.

He said this includes funding for additional public mental health positions over five years, $4.7 million over three years for mental health services for the elderly and $6 million over three years to establish a homelessness group in the Moreton Bay area.

The latest data from the AIHW showed Queensland had the second-worst rate of suicide deaths per 10,000 people after the Northern Territory, with 773 people kill yourself in 2022.

Suicide rates are often higher in regional and remote areas and among First Nations Australians.