Number of specialised mental health public hospital beds
In Victoria a decrease in actual numbers of public hospital mental health beds has been recorded, from 1,708 to 1,471. Measured by 100,000 population, that factors in the growth in population in Victoria in the same period, the decrease is even greater, from 42.3 to 22.1 per 100.000 population. This represents an almost 50 per cent reduction. 51
Number of specialised mental health public hospital beds - Victoria
Graph: Number of mental health public hospital beds Victoria. Source: AIHW data: Specialised mental health care facilities tables 2019-20. Table FAC.13.
Mental health emergency department presentations
The data available for emergency department presentations in Victoria points to an increase in the number of people presenting for mental health issues. In 2004-05 the number of presentations per 10,000 population was 58, in 2020-21 that number was 99.4.
Rate of ED presentations per 10,000 population - Victoria
Graph: ED presentations per 10,000 population Victoria. Source: AIHW data Mental Health Services Provided in emergency departments data tables 2020-21
Along with the increase in the number of patients presenting for mental health related issues, the severity of illness by those presenting seems to be increasing. The below graph shows a 0.8 per cent increase in the number of patients triaged as resuscitation, 7.1 per cent increase in the number of emergency presentations (to be seen within 15 minutes) and a 3 per cent increase in the number of patients triaged as urgent (to be seen within 30 minutes).
Mental health related emergency department presentations in public hospitals by triage category 2015-16 to 2020-21 in Victoria - per cent
Mental health-related emergency department presentations in public hospitals, by triage category, VIC. Source: AIHW Data: Mental Health Services Provided in emergency departments data tables 2015-16 to 2020–21
Emergency department mental health treatment times – ED length of stay
In Victoria in 2020-21 ED median length of stay for all mental health presentations was 4 hours and 6 minutes. For presentations ending in admissions, median length of stay was 5 hours and 8 minutes. 90th percentile length of stay for mental health presentations ending in admissions was 19 hours and 13 minutes.52 The below table shows the change in length of stay over the last 5 years.
Emergency department mental health presentations – ambulance arrival
In Victoria, in 2016 almost one in two people who presented to emergency departments for mental health related conditions arrived by ambulance. In 2020-21 the number of ambulance presentations grew by 8.1 per cent. The number of all emergency department presentations where ambulance was the mode of arrival grew by 5.6 per cent in the same period.
Mental health presentations ambulance arrival mode - Victoria
Graph: Mental health ED Presentations ambulance arrival mode. Source: AIHW Data Mental Health Services Provided in emergency departments data tables 2016-17 to 2020-21
Overnight admitted mental health care
In Victoria, the average length of stay in public hospitals for mental health patients dropped from 15.9 in 2015-16 to 13.1 in 2019-20, which is 1.6 days below the national average.
Average length of stay for mental health patients in public hospitals - Victoria
Graph: Average length of stay for mental health patients in public hospitals. Source: AIHW 2022. Web report: Mental Health Services in Australia. Overnight admitted mental health care. Overnight admitted mental health related care tables, Table ON.1
Sources
51AIHW 2022. Specialised mental health care facilities tables 2019-20. Table FAC.13. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-in-australia/report-content/specialised-facilities
52AIHW 2022. Mental Health Services Provided in Emergency Departments. Table ED.17: Mental health-related emergency department presentations in public hospitals, statistics for length of stay by states and territories, 2020–21