The London Health Sciences Centre is hiring five new psychiatrists and a nurse practitioner, according to Ontario’s Minister of Health.
The issue was raised at Queen’s Park during Question Period Tuesday, when London West New Democrat MPP Peggy Sattler asked when the Liberals would start fixing the mental health crisis at the hospital.
“Currently the hospital is staffed for 71 psychiatric beds, but there are 28 extra beds in operation every day, there are mental health patients lining the emergency room hallway on a daily basis waiting for a bed,” Sattler said during Tuesday’s question period.
“It’s gotten so bad that people in mental health crisis, who should be in hospital, won’t go to the ER for the help they need.”
Newly minted Health Minister Dr. Helena Jaczek said they’re committed to improving access to mental health care across the province and that hiring was underway for the new positions.
“We’re developing a province-wide, publicly funded, structure psychotherapy program that will help people with things like mood disorders, anxiety and depression, and we’ll be the first province in Canada to do this.”
Jaczek did not provide a timeline for the hiring.
Sattler says that since 2013, LHSC has seen $141 million cut from its budget.
“As a result, we’ve seen chronic hospital overcrowding, especially for mental health beds, and not enough staff to care for patients.”
The province announced last fall that it would add an additional 24 beds to the psychiatric care unit within LHSC.
Those beds are supposed to open in the near future, but hospital officials haven’t provided a timeline.
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