Once again the Illawarra has drawn the short straw ! This region has faced a long string of resignations from it's psychiatrist work force - and now the director of mental health services has quit.
The reason for the walkout is not hard to find. Control of the service is Sydney/centric and staff complain of inappropriate decision making, endless coverups - and bullying.
Those talented people who have walked out have setup in private practice, and in many cases are now working part time for the government in the capacity of visiting medical officers.
As a result, the Illawarra has just thirteen part time psychiatrists, giving it a ratio of just one for each 25,000 people. The recommended WHO ratio should be one for each 10,000 people, hence there is a serious shortfall.
At the same time millions have been spent on creating two brand new psychiatric units which are not serving their intended purpose - because of staff shortages.
In the present dire economic climate it is unlikely that the Illawarra will be high on the agenda for Sydney's attention when it comes to fixing this problem. The state government will be hard pressed just to survive in the months ahead and those urgently needing psychiatric help will face a long waiting list.
It seems that the sky will be empty over this particular Cuckoo's nest for a long time !
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