14 September 2020
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (SA Branch) has hit out at a decision to award a mental health contract to a private and foreign provider alliance, saying the Government has learnt nothing from the aged care crisis.
“We have seen with the aged care system the disastrous consequences of privatisation,’’ said ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM.
“When you put what should be about the care of people into the hands of private providers you are lighting a very big fuse.’’
The Marshall Government dismissed a bid by the publicly funded Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN), which runs the RAH, TQEH and Glenside campus, to operate a proposed new mental health centre, instead awarding the contract to NEAMI National in partnership with an Arizona-based firm, RI International.
The new CBD-based facility is intended to ease the strain on hospital emergency departments which are forced to house mental health patients in the absence of more appropriate care elsewhere.
However, the move to a private provider has reportedly raised alarm among frontline health care professionals and mental health clinicians who fear it may ultimately just add further strain on an already over-stretched public health system.
“The only way companies make a profit out of essential services is by trimming from the top … trimming services, trimming staff numbers and charging more,’’ Ms Dabars said.
“Invariably what happens, as was the case with the failed Modbury Hospital privatisation, they keep coming back for more and more handouts … it ends up costing the taxpayer more than it did when it was publicly owned. The taxpayer ends up paying more for less.”
It’s understood the new facility will only operate 12 hours a day as opposed to the 16 hours proposed by CALHN.
“Not only are we concerned by the profit-driven motivation of private providers, we are equally concerned about the fragmentation of service delivery,” Ms Dabars said.
People needing care in home and community settings will receive clinical care from the CALHN community mental health teams, inpatient care from the RAH or the QEH services but when they attend the new service an entirely different team will attend to their needs.
“This creates issues where people need to be sent to hospital emergency departments or inpatient units in ensuring continuity of care – both in terms of records and treatments but also in terms of models of care,’’ Ms Dabars said.
“The disintegration of service delivery is in no-one’s interests.
“The Australian public health system has proven itself to be among the very best in the world. The community has faith in our public institutions and their ability to rapidly respond in times of crisis.
“The very principle of profit is at complete odds with the principle of quality care. It seems our Government has learnt nothing from the aged care tragedy.’’