Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson goes public with demand that his own government 'stop sending our kids away' and build specialist kids' mental health unit

The MP told the Leader he had been working behind the scenes for months to win a commitment for the unit, but his appeals had "fallen on deaf ears" and it was time to go public.

"We're big enough now to be able to cater for our own; stop sending our kids away," he said.

"We should have the facility to deliver the services here and stop sending our kids away."

The New England North West region does not have a single specialist mental health bed for a person under the age of 18.

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The closest option for children who need acute care is Newcastle's 12-bed Nexus unit.

Current plans for the $40 million new Banksia unit do not include a single child and adolescent bed. It will include two beds which can be used for 72 hours' observation, before a child patient is transported to Newcastle.

Mr Anderson said he had written to Minister for Health Brad Hazzard, and Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor, lobbying for a commitment for an additional six children's beds on top of the 33-bed upgrade.

He pointed to a dramatic increase in mental health presentations by children driven by the COVID-19 crisis, and said a commitment was "urgent".

"I think given our situation, given what we're seeing over the last 12 to18 months, given the increase in presentations of young people with mental health issues, we need to be on the front foot," he said.

"We are a growing community. This is a perfect opportunity to be able to provide that inpatient support."

Mr Anderson also criticised population modelling used for the unit's clinical services plan, which estimated the New England North West would grow by just 8321 people by 2031, from 171,619 in 2021.

He rejected the argument that it would be difficult to attract a child and adolescent psychiatrist or other specialist clinicians for the unit.

"We hear constantly that health right across NSW struggles to attract psychiatrists and psychologists and mental health clinicians. Part of the excuse for not including a child and adolescent mental health unit in this facility is they don't have the clinicians to man it," he said.

"Well I work from a different view, that build it and they will come. It's very simply, it's very basic but that's how it works. Why not build a facility that would be ready and capable to attract new clinicians to a facility that would be ready and capable ... to provide the very best care to young people who need mental health, rather than say oh we don't have that facility, we'll have to take our patients somewhere else. I don't buy that. I want that facility to be onsite in Tamworth. That's what we've been saying all along."

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Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said that Mr Anderson is a "passionate local member and advocate for his community and has written to me about this."

"I will be following up his concerns with the Health Minister and Mr Anderson," she said.

The Leader exclusively revealed that planning for the Banksia upgrade showed the region required about two-and-a-half specialist children's beds, but planners decided the capacity should be provided in Newcastle because a small unit could not achieve "economies of scale".

In 2018 the Tamworth Mental Health Carers' Support Group collected more than 13,000 signatures for a parliamentary petition demanding a new Banksia Mental Health Unit. It became a 2019 election commitment for Mr Anderson, and won funding in 2020.

A lack of child mental healthcare in the region was one of the primary reasons behind the petition. It was also raised repeatedly during the consultation process over the new unit.

"During the diagnostic phase the issue of child and adolescent presentations to general pediatric wards was consistently raised noting appropriate, timely, accessible treatment options for child and adolescent consumers, especially when an inpatient admission is indicated, is often difficult to facilitate," the CSP reads.

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