AMA says emergency departments are losing capacity to help those in mental distress

Australia's peak medical body is calling for urgent intervention to help public hospitals meet the demand of mental ill health presentations. The new public health system report card from the Australian Medical Association says instead of increasing the capacity of emergency departments to help those in mental distress, the number of beds they have per capita is declining.

Public hospitals struggling to meet the demand of mental ill health presentations Source: Getty / S. Shepard