FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2006
Confidential report
underscores lack of mental health services in the southeast:
OPSEU
KINGSTON – Mental health beds
at Providence Continuing Care Centre (PCCC) are over
capacity because a lack of community services is preventing
the discharge of patients, says a confidential report for
the Ontario Ministry of Health.
The March 2006 report,
prepared by the Deloitte consulting group, shows that mental
health care restructuring isn’t working in the southeast. It
was obtained under a Freedom of Information request by the
Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).
“People with serious mental
illness were told that services would be in place in the
community when provincial psychiatric hospitals were
downsized,” said Sheryl Ferguson, president of OPSEU Local
431, which represents mental health staff at PCCC. “Clearly,
neither the previous Conservative nor the current Liberal
government kept that promise.”
The Deloitte consultants
examined three years of financial and admissions data and
the mental health programs of four hospitals, including PCCC,
which took over provincial psychiatric facilities. Kingston
Psychiatric Hospital was transferred to PCCC in March, 2001.
The report noted that for
PCCC: “Specifically there continues to be a need for
additional community mental health services to support high
needs clients who have lengthy hospital stays and may need
secure and/or supportive housing options and specialized LTC
[long-term care] in order to leave hospital care.” (p. 81)
The report found:
- The Adult Treatment and
Rehabilitation Services Unit was at 115 per cent
capacity in 2005; (p. 87)
- Approximately 70
patients in the unit with a developmental disability and
mental illness have been identified as ready for
discharge but remain in hospital “as a result of
insufficient community resourcing;” (p. 88)
- Occupancy rates for the
Forensic Program, assessing and treating people with
serious mental illness in conflict with the law, have
been over 100 per cent since 2003; (p. 84)
- “A persistent shortage
of appropriate community based treatment programs and
housing to care for these patients on an outpatient
basis” has made it impossible for PCCC to discharge
forensic patients; (p. 85) and
- The Geriatric Psychiatry
Program is getting more inpatients due to an aging
demographic but has “an ongoing challenge accessing
appropriate LTC beds” in the community. There is “no
existing capacity in the long-term care sector for
mid-level care for older persons with dementia” or other
disorders. (p. 82, 83)
“This report is a wake-up
call for the Liberal government and, in particular, for area
MPP John Gerretsen,” said Ferguson. “We want an immediate
moratorium on further mental health care restructuring and
we expect Gerretsen to deliver that message to his cabinet
colleagues.”
The three other hospitals
reviewed in the Deloitte report are St Joseph’s Health Care,
Hamilton, St. Joseph’s Health Care, London and Royal Ottawa
Health Care Group, Brockville. The catchment areas of the
four hospitals take in much of southern and eastern Ontario.
Of the 21 mental health programs profiled in the report,
two-thirds had trouble discharging patients due to a lack of
community services.
The Deloitte report can be
viewed at
http://www.opseu.org/bps/health/mental/deloittereport.htm
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For further information:
Sheryl Ferguson (613)
548-5597
Megan Park (416) 443-8888 ext. 8207
