MORE than 4000 patients threatened or attacked Melbourne hospital staff in just six months last year, while another 182 used weapons against their carers and fellow patients.

Figures show drugs, alcohol and psychosis fuelled the increase in public hospital violence. There was a 12 per cent increase in dangerous situations between 2006 and 2007.

Attacks using weapons rose by 29 per cent. But most of the state's increase took place in Geelong, where Barwon Health reported 170 "code black" incidents in the second half of last year, up from 120 in the same period of 2006.

The figures come after the Herald Sun Doctor Survey showed two-thirds of the state's doctors believe emergency departments have become increasingly violent

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MENTAL illness is the health sector's Cinderella, accounting for nearly one-quarter of the total disability burden for all diseases and one-third of all health costs for people aged 15 to 44 - but attracting just 8 per cent of the spending.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report shows mental problems are the fourth-most common reason for seeing a GP, account for nearly threemillion hospital bed days a year, and come third in the league table of the damage they wreak, after cancer and heart disease.

More than 20 million prescriptions are written each year for drugs to treat psychiatric illnesses.

And yet, such is the scale of the problems - which can range from anxiety and depression to psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia - advocates say there is still a vast amount of unmet need.

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MENTAL health programs are being stripped of a further $56 million over four years - on top of the $188 million cut to nurse incentives already revealed - as part of the Government's $500 million budget squeeze on health spending.

The extra cuts, revealed in a belated government breakdown of the programs to be targeted, have horrified some mental health advocates. They include slashing almost $30 million in unspent funds from the training component of a scheme designed to increase access to mental health services.

A further $15.5 million is described as "reduced funding for mental health services in rural and remote areas program". As with many of the clawbacks, the Government says the cut to the program "reflects its historical spending pattern".

Ian Hickie, a prominent mental health expert whose advocacy influenced the previous government's decision in 2006 to pump $1.9 billion into crumbling mental health services, described the latest cuts as devastating.

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(May 26, 2008)

HALF the number of people in custody in Victoria have a mental illness, a study has found.

And of the 600 detainees in the survey, one in six was being treated for a mental illness at the time they were detained.

The study is part of a five-year, $3.5 million Australian Research Council-funded project by Monash University and the Victoria Police.

Senior lecturer at the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science at Monash University Stuart Thomas said that data in the first 18 months of the study had shown a high number of mentally ill people in custody.

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In early May 2008 the Minister for Mental Health, Lisa Neville, released a Consultation paper summary, Because Mental Health Matters: A new focus for mental health and wellbeing in Victoria. The corresponding consultation Paper has now been released and is now available on the DHS Website (download here.)

The Minister’s message states, the Victorian Government is about to embark on "generational reform of Victoria’s mental health system."

We believe this may have a significant impact on funding and service structures for Mental Health Services.

(14 April 2008)

ANDREW Curwood's family believes his tragic death could have been averted if he had access to an adequate mental health-care system.

And they say government at both state and federal levels needs to implement measures to prevent such events from happening again.

Andrew was attacked and killed by his housemate on December 9 2005. Both were suffering from mental illness at the time and living in a flat provided by Doutta Galla Community Health Services.

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(6 April 2008)

A GRIEVING family wants an overhaul of mental health services after their son was placed in a flat with a schizophrenic who told authorities he might kill him. Then he did just that.

The murderer told health workers he had homicidal thoughts about his flatmate before stabbing Andrew Curwood to death, according to documents before the coroner.

Sue and John Curwood, of Moonee Ponds, want their son's death to be the catalyst for reform.

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(16 Nov 2007) 

THE State Government has dodged a second round of nurses' strikes, settling an industrial dispute with 4000 mental health workers before bed closures.

More than 400 members of the Health and Community Services Union voted for a new four-year deal yesterday that will see annual wage increases of between 3.6% and 6%. In addition, 60 mental health nurse and clinician places will be created and the Government will set up a taskforce on recruitment and retention issues.

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(16 Nov 2007) 

Victoria's mental health nurses have halted industrial action after reaching an agreement with the State Government on pay and conditions.

Nurses from around the state met in Melbourne yesterday after holding stop-work meets over the past week.

The Health and Community Services Union's Lloyd Williams says the new deal will provide more staff and a pay rise of up to 6 per cent over four years for nurses.

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(15 Nov 2007)

About 200 mental health nurses have voted in favour of a new enterprise agreement offered by the Victorian government.

Nurses voted unanimously on Thursday to accept the state government's offer of average annual increases of between 3.6 per cent and six per cent over the life of the agreement, which lasts four years.

The agreement also provides for 60 new psychiatric nurses.

Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) state secretary Lloyd Williams said the agreement was finalised at 2am Thursday.

He said the union pushed hard for the new offer.

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