THE most recent quarterly figures released by the Victorian Agency for Health Data has highlighted the dire state of mental health care in regional Victoria, revealing that providers simply do not have the capacity to treat more people.
The data, which covers October–December 2022, shows that mental health inpatient beds across regional Victoria are full while metropolitan providers have the capacity for far more patients.
Mental health inpatient beds are occupied by a patient 96 per cent of the time in the Goulburn region, while the North East and Border providers are in an even more alarming situation with the data showing that over 101 per cent of beds are occupied.
Meanwhile, the state–wide average occupancy sits below 80 per cent.
