Almost two-thirds of public hospital psychiatrists are poised to resign from NSW Health over a pay dispute in a state system which already has 140 long-term vacancies.
An urgent hearing before the Industrial Relations Commission on Tuesday failed to resolve the dispute, which is now set out for a five-day negotiation hearing beginning March 17.
Christina Matthews (left) and Anu Kataria (right) are among psychiatrists to have resigned. (Neve Brissenden/AAP PHOTOS)
Twenty-five specialists had rescinded their resignations and 81 had delayed or suspended their decision to leave, NSW Health Minister Rose Jackson said.
"That still leaves 100 people who have indicated that they will resign this week or next," she said on Tuesday.
"I think that's dangerous, I think it's bad for patients, (but) employment is not servitude ... we recognise people don't have to work."
Anu Kataria resigned as a psychiatrist from Cumberland Hospital in mid-January, saying the situation had become untenable.
"I have worked at Cumberland hospital for over 20 years and have watched the facilities and services offered gradually shrink to a level where we are now offering the bare minimum of care," she told AAP.
Dr Kataria and colleagues Pramudie Ganuratne and Christina Matthews say the resignations were the last straw for an undervalued workforce.
"This is not about wage increases, it is about how can we fully resource a mental health system that is rapidly collapsing before our eyes," Dr Ganuratne said.
"Even today, we know that there are four closures in Cumberland Hospital in terms of their acute wards and their rehabilitation."
New mothers experiencing mental distress may also have to be treated in general psychiatric units separated from their babies.
Ariane Beeston was admitted to a private mother and baby psychiatric unit after she experienced postpartum psychosis, a rare but very serious mental health condition.
Ariane Beeston warns closing beds at mother-baby units will have long-term implications for mothers. (HANDOUT/ARIANE BEESTON)
She said the closure of beds at public mother-baby units, established to provide care for women experiencing significant mental health problems in the perinatal period, would have long-term implications.
"The concern now is that women would need to be treated in general psychiatric units where they would be separated from their babies, which is incredibly traumatic at a vulnerable time," Ms Beeston said.
There are two public hospital mother-baby units in NSW, both in Sydney.
The Westmead Hospital unit has had to shut its eight beds because of staff shortages.
The mother-baby unit at Westmead has already had to shut its eight beds. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
Treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy, used for complex and severe mental health conditions, may also not be able to continue in some public hospitals.
UNSW professor Colleen Loo has worked as a psychiatrist in the state's public hospital system for 29 years and says problems that have built over a decade will only be exacerbated by the resignations.
"It's the most severely ill people who are going to be impacted by this ... those who can't provide voluntary consent (for treatment) can't be treated privately and need these specialised services in the public sector," she said.
Premier Chris Minns said the state could not afford a 25 per cent pay rise psychiatrists were asking for and blamed the former coalition government's wages policy for suppressing public-sector pay for 12 years.
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