By MARTIN JOHNSTON health reporter
Industrial action by mental healthcare workers is spreading as they demand more beds to ease an "unsafe" crush of patients.
Public Service Association members at three Auckland sites have been protesting since March against conditions they consider unsafe for themselves and their patients.
They report an increasing incidence of patient assaults on staff.
The failings highlighted by the association prompted Health Minister Annette King to order a review of Auckland mental health services. The review team's final report is expected this month.
Some patients have been sent to police cells because of overcrowding at facilities for the acutely unwell.
Patients face being shifted around the country to vacant beds, camping on mattresses at acute units or being cared for in general-hospital wards.
"Lots of ill people need to be hospitalised, but the staff cannot find facilities to place them in," said PSA organiser Ashok Shankar.
"They are trying to manage very ill people in the community and it's very unsafe."
He said industrial action by association members at the Counties Manukau District Health Board's acute unit, Tiaho Mai, was today being extended to include community and crisis-response teams.
At Tiaho Mai, and the North and West Auckland acute units Taharoto and Te Atarau, staff have been refusing to work if there are too many patients.
From today, crisis workers at Counties Manukau will spend a maximum two hours caring for each patient while seeking an acute-unit bed, and will not do any other work in that time. After that they will transfer the patient to Tiaho Mai.
Community teams, who care for patients after they have been discharged, will take them only under agreed discharge plans. They will not accept patients who have been discharged to free beds.
"It may be necessary to investigate capping client numbers to further protect the safety of staff in the community teams," the PSA says in a letter to Counties Manukau.
Mr Shankar said more beds were needed in "sub-acute" facilities for patients who were moderately ill. They now often took up beds in acute units.
The health board's mental health services general manager, Ian McKenzie, said yesterday that he recognised there were problems, but he did not support the PSA's increasing action.
"The pressure will increase across the board in terms of the suggested action.
"The way forward has to be a constructive one that involves all parties."
He said the board was trying to find money for more sub-acute beds, which in Manukau are provided by a non-government organisation.
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