NT youth mental health facility fails basic safety standards: report

A "damning" report has revealed that the Northern Territory's only youth mental health inpatient facility is failing to meet 16 national safety standards, posing an "unmanageable" risk to patients and staff.

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Risks to staff and patient safety has become unmanageable and the physical environment is so significantly damaged that it is not appropriate or therapeutically beneficial.

The 2024 report, obtained by ABC News under Freedom of Information laws, was commissioned by NT Health following five major critical incidents at the Youth Inpatient Program (YIP) at Royal Darwin Hospital. The facility primarily treats young people under 18 suffering from suicidality and psychosis.

Two years after the report's release, advocates state that none of its recommendations have been implemented. The facility, which has an eight-bed ward, saw 95 children admitted in 2023, a significant increase from the 50 patients per year initially expected when it opened in 2016. Despite this surge in demand, the report found that clinical staff numbers, including youth workers, psychologists, and occupational therapists, have decreased. There has also been a reduction in the minimum number of nurses required per shift.

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Many other state governments are dropping the ball here and failing to admit their responsibilities to young people.

World-renowned youth mental health expert Professor Patrick McGorry described the resourcing for youth mental health as "pathetic," stating that it's a widespread issue across Australia. He criticized state governments for failing to acknowledge their responsibilities to young people, leading to teenagers being treated in facilities designed for adults with chronic mental illness. "The experience is traumatic, it's harmful and it fails to actually meet their needs," he said.

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This is the scandal in every part of Australia, that young patients, teenagers, are being treated in facilities designed for middle-aged adults with chronic mental illness.

The report also found a lack of allied health staff and specially trained nurses within YIP, recommending their reinstatement. Health Services Union NT/SA branch secretary Billy Elrick called the report "damning," expressing shock at its findings.

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The experience is traumatic, it's harmful and it fails to actually meet their needs.