Mums push for mental health beds

Christine Brown, of Roleystone, and Linda Stillitano, of Thornlie, will lead a rally outside Parliament House today.

Opposition spokesman for Mental Health Stephen Dawson will table the petition in the Legislative Council.

He said the Government had been slow to implement recommendations from the Stokes report and had not put any extra money on the table to ensure it was implemented in a speedy fashion.

The new Children’s Hospital should cater for growth, yet all hospitals were struggling with capacity and he had heard psychiatrists were leaving the public system.

‘I hope a parliamentary inquiry will shine a spotlight on the issue and look at it in depth so we know how many beds are needed,’ Mr Dawson said.

The women collated and presented a 1000-signature petition to the Legislative Assembly before the petition to the Upper House, motivated by their personal struggles to get help for their children.

Mrs Brown initially started a Facebook group on the issue and told Comment News there were 20 beds available to mental health patients in the State, all at Bentley Health Service and Princess Margaret Hospital.

‘Why build a new Children’s Hospital with the same amount of mental health beds?

‘My daughter was sent home too early, at 13 years of age, and took and overdosed two years ago,’ she said.