Westmead patients face prolonged emergency waits for mental health beds

Patients with acute mental illness have been waiting up to six days in Westmead Hospital's emergency department, according to reporting on conditions at the western Sydney hospital. Twelve patients had reportedly been there for more than 48 hours by Monday afternoon, including seven waiting longer than 100 hours.

A doctor said the patients were being held involuntarily while awaiting transfer to a specialist mental health facility. The doctor described the prolonged stays in a busy emergency setting as distressing and potentially dangerous for patients and staff.

published reporting health district acknowledged high demand and apologised for extended waits. It said patients awaiting transfer continued to receive treatment under a psychiatrist, with specialist clinicians working in a designated lower-stimulation mental health area. Waiting for a bed therefore does not mean receiving no care at all.

The state government said construction of a new mental health centre would add beds in western Sydney. That longer-term project does not establish when the patients currently waiting will move. The figures describe a reported snapshot at one hospital, not every emergency department in the state.