We are failing the mentally ill | Northern Rivers News | Local News in Northern Rivers

PETER WEEKES | 29th June 2009

THE murder of a mental care health worker in Lismore on Saturday should put the spotlight on how we care for society’s mentally ill.

The fact that a dedicated worker was killed for no other reason than helping someone in need is both shocking and tragic.

It is also a tragedy for the alleged killer, who could now face many years locked away, and his family who must endure a new heartache.

Neither the worker, nor his client should ever have been put in this position.

The worker’s death raises the broader question: Why are we failing to protect our mentally ill and those who care for them.

It has been more than 25 years since the NSW Government embraced the Richmond Report’s recommendation to integrate the mentally ill into the wider community.

There is no debate the motive was noble and long overdue. However the funding never fulfilled the promise. Instead of building a network of necessary support services in the community, successive governments have used the report as a blunt instrument to cut beds and save costs.

Speak to any mental health worker and they will tell you the system is in crisis: Services are being slashed, doctors and nurses are leaving in frustration, and patients are finding it almost impossible to get help before they reach breaking point.

And there’s the rub. Unless we want to revert back to the Dickensian days when we locked up our mentally ill and throw away the key, the community must demand that the Government start funding services that will help and protect both those with issues, and their workers.
 

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