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Updated September 3, 2026 \u2014 9:06am,first published 5:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Psychiatrists and mental health advocates have accused the Minns government of hiding the true extent of staff and resource shortages affecting vulnerable patients in a long-delayed report that fails to identify the worst-affected areas.<\/p>\n The state government quietly published its mental health gap analysis report on the NSW Health website on Friday afternoon, which they had promised would show which of the state\u2019s Local Health Districts (LHDs) were underresourced so funding could be allocated appropriately.<\/p>\n The report de-identified the LHDs and did not report their levels of unmet demand. They were instead benchmarked against the state average, rather than a target gold standard.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s basically created to make NSW look good,\u201d the Australian Society of Psychiatrists\u2019 Professor Steve Kisely said. \u201cI very much doubt it looks like that on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n He said there would always be places above and below average. \u201cWhat people want to know is: is the system working for them? Not whether the system is working as poorly as somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n The report said LHDs were de-identified \u201cto ensure there is no perception that any area provides poor services compared to others\u201d, and to enable publication without further Commonwealth approvals.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n BEING Mental Health Consumers chief executive Giancarlo de Vera said the report had not provided sufficient clarity on community need.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know there are massive gaps,\u201d de Vera said. \u201cWe need to know where they are, who\u2019s affected and how much it will cost to fix, so the problem doesn\u2019t get bigger.<\/p>\n \u201cDistrict-level data should be published transparently and regularly for every region in Australia so we can find local solutions to local problems.\u201d<\/p>\n The report was published ahead of this Friday\u2019s health ministers\u2019 meeting between state and federal leaders, and a month before NDIS changes come into effect on October 1, when services such as psychosocial supports are expected to be cut or reduced for many people without state-based alternatives in place.<\/p>\n Related Article It showed NSW had the second-highest level of unmet demand for psychosocial support among all states and territories. Psychosocial supports help people with mental health challenges function in society and address areas such as housing, employment and social supports.<\/p>\n For Amber Curry, who lives with schizophrenia, accessing public support has been coloured by understaffing and a lack of resourcing in North Sydney, with private clinics ill equipped to deal with her severe symptoms.<\/p>\n The Castle Cove resident estimated she has seen at least 20 public psychiatrists in the past five years.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s such a lack of continuity of care, Amber\u2019s constantly having to repeat her symptoms and relive her story,\u201d her mother, Sharon Grocott, said. Grocott is also the chief executive of mental health advocacy group Wayahead, which has been campaigning for the gap analysis.<\/p>\n A separate state government-commissioned independent report<\/a> found 13 per cent of people who need psychosocial support could access it in Curry\u2019s North Sydney LHD \u2013 below the 23 per cent statewide average. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n When Curry\u2019s psychiatrist eventually recommended clozapine, a \u201clast hope\u201d medication, she needed to be hospitalised to trial it, and the family was left waiting six months for a bed. During this time, Curry was unmedicated, causing her symptoms to escalate.<\/p>\n \u201cThe longer you leave psychosis, the harder it is to get back,\u201d Grocott said of that period of acute illness, when most of the family were up with Curry at all hours of the night as she hallucinated snakes and intruders trying to stab her. \u201cThey don\u2019t measure quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n Curry is legally blind and has difficulty walking, conditions her family believe were caused by the litany of anti-psychotics she trialled. Weekly art classes previously funded by the NDIS have become one of her only links to the outside world, and a key therapeutic tool.<\/p>\n \u201cArt class is a helpful break from [the voices],\u201d Curry said. \u201cIt helps with stigma, with thinking \u2018no one\u2019s got what I have\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the report, almost no mental health service in any Australian state or territory met the demand for services estimated by the federal government\u2019s National Mental Health Service Planning Framework, which is under review.<\/p>\n NSW was above the national average for hospital care but people with severe symptoms were more likely to have their needs met than those with moderate presentation.<\/p>\n Related Article De Vera said community-based support could help save the government money by preventing symptoms from escalating. \u201cWe need all governments to recognise the value of social supports in preventing crisis because it saves lives.\u201d<\/p>\n NSW Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson called the report an important first step, acknowledging concerns about its limitations and the need for greater investment.<\/p>\n Jackson said the analysis was being used to guide funding decisions, including $3.3 billion for largely community-based mental health services, in the latest state budget.<\/p>\n \u201cThis work is certainly not over \u2013 we are continuing to consult key stakeholders and local health districts to address findings and improve the analysis into the future,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n CLARIFICATION<\/p>\n This story has been updated to include details of Sharon Grocott\u2019s position as chief executive of Wayahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Amber](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/da1617c8028aca7b2aca905eecdd67a0bb297731.jpeg\")
Amber Curry has found it challenging to access both disability and mental health support.Sam Mooy<\/p>\n![\"Caption](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bcfc955f57d6fcbe2795b2e53a0ab0a67b1c0e8e.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Amber](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1d8d35aa105adced3e1da805a2bbe7f418802bb4.jpeg\")
Amber Curry is facing a reduction to her psychosocial support package.Sam Mooy<\/p>\n![\"Elizabeth](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0eefc9e44309a41ce6a2e90e620db6d3e83df097.jpeg\")
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