For young Victorians in all severity ranges, particularly those with acute mental health problems, there are considerable wait times to receive critical inpatient treatment. Monash Children’s Hospital has over 400 acute adolescent mental health admissions per year, indicating a clear need for services. In 2022, the Victorian state government passed a Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy on businesses, generating $1.2 billion dollars in the 2023–24 financial year. Yet, the infrastructure to serve these mental health needs is sorely lacking.
Katie Kendall, a young woman diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, exemplifies the challenges so many encounter in accessing appropriate care in a timely manner. She made the decision to pursue private treatment and was admitted to Box Hill Hospital six times. Sadly, she encountered such extensive wait times that she had to wait in emergency departments up to five days. Her experience highlights the urgent lack of acute adolescent mental health beds available in the region.
Inpatient Bed Availability in Victoria
There are just 58 acute adolescent mental health inpatient beds in total spread throughout Victoria. As a result, more than two-thirds of these beds have been open for more than 20 years. That’s an absolutely terrible lack of expansion considering that people’s demand for more transit keeps increasing. Our regional areas are impacted the most by this deficit. Mildura Base Public Hospital, which has about half of the state’s regional beds, provides only four acute adolescent mental health inpatient beds.
Orygen, a leading mental health organization, emphasizes that many adolescents must reach a severe state of illness before they can access inpatient care. This policy deprives at-risk youth of critical resources in some of the most important moments of their mental health journey.
“There’s not the services there in the community that are able to respond to the complexity and the severity of their mental ill health.” – Vivienne Browne
The reality is stark: some metropolitan services can accommodate around 400 mental health inpatient referrals a year, yet the overall system struggles to keep pace with demand. As more young people try to get care, it’s becoming impossible to ignore the fact that resources aren’t just limited—they’re shockingly insufficient.
Challenges Faced by Patients
Katie’s story is a testament to the unfortunate truth that too many encounter when trying to access the mental health system. Memory of being put in an adult mental health unit in Albury at 17 years old. Little did she know that this initial experience would be a harbinger for the challenges she would face with all of her future therapies.
During the time that we were navigating her crisis, Kendall told us how difficult it was to access a bed when needed.
“But there was never any beds available.” – Katie Kendall
She powerfully illustrates the fear and torment that comes with being detained in a hospital ER room. In this scene, she is clearly on the edge, unsafe and feeling trapped by her failing mental health.
“Being trapped in that sort of room and needing to try to keep yourself safe when you’re already not in a good place, you don’t have anything to do, a lot of the time, my mental health just spiralled.” – Katie Kendall
Kendall’s story illustrates the serious need for reform in how mental health services are delivered and accessed.
Government Initiatives and Future Steps
In light of these rising mental health concerns, the Victorian government has introduced measures to expand access to quality mental health care. In a statement, a spokesperson cited the difference Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy has made. Funding for the walk. Every dollar raised goes directly toward improving mental health services across the state.
“Every dollar raised by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy goes straight into the mental health system — as is required under Victorian legislation.” – Victorian government spokesperson
One such initiative is the recent roll-out of 10 Youth Hospital in the Home beds scattered around Melbourne. This program would provide young people with a range of support options that address their unique mental health needs. Furthermore, as part of their University of Melbourne research, Orygen had developed an online therapy platform aimed at supporting Australians who are having difficulty with their mental health.
Many advocates argue that more systemic changes are necessary to address the root causes of bed shortages and improve overall service delivery.
