Health · Healthcare & Policy · 11 hrs ago
Acute mental health patients wait up to six days in Westmead ED
At Westmead Hospital in western Sydney, 12 acute mental health patients waited over 48 hours in the emergency department as of Monday afternoon.
Seven had been there for more than 100 hours, and the longest wait exceeded six days.
A doctor said the patients were experiencing psychotic illness and being held involuntarily while awaiting transfer to Cumberland Hospital.
The doctor described the waits as dangerous and said the busy, noisy emergency department was not a suitable place to recover.
The local health district said demand for acute mental health care was high and that patients awaiting transfer continued to receive treatment and psychiatric oversight.
Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson said the waits were below the standard she wanted, and a new Westmead mental health centre is being built to add beds.
The sources do not give a completion date for the centre.
Twelve patients with acute mental illness had been waiting more than 48 hours in Westmead Hospital’s emergency department as of Monday afternoon.
Seven had been there for more than 100 hours, and the longest wait was more than 148 hours.
A doctor at the hospital said the patients were experiencing psychotic illness, were being held involuntarily and were awaiting transfer to Cumberland Hospital.
The doctor described the waits as unprecedented, immoral and potentially dangerous.
Western Sydney Local Health District said patients awaiting transfer continued to receive treatment and care in the emergency department.
- Who
- Twelve patients with acute mental illness, according to the ABC. A Westmead doctor said they were experiencing psychotic illness and being held involuntarily.
- What
- Patients waited up to more than 148 hours in Westmead Hospital’s emergency department while awaiting transfer to a mental health facility.
- When
- As of Monday afternoon; the article was published on November 10, 2026.
- Where
- Westmead Hospital in Sydney’s west.
- Why
- The Western Sydney Local Health District said the area was experiencing high demand for acute mental health care.
Westmead doctor
Western Sydney Local Health District and Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson
Conditions in the emergency department
Westmead doctor
The doctor said the waits and environment were harmful and potentially dangerous for patients and staff.
Western Sydney Local Health District and Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson
The district said patients awaiting transfer received ongoing treatment and care from a psychiatrist in a designated mental health area.
Response to extended waits
Westmead doctor
The doctor called the situation unprecedented and immoral.
Western Sydney Local Health District and Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson
Jackson said the waits were well below the experience she wanted for people using the mental health system, and pointed to construction of a new centre that would increase beds.
Figures released showed 49.1 per cent of Westmead patients received treatment on time, with an average wait of 6.5 hours.
The ABC confirmed 12 patients with acute mental illness had waited more than 48 hours in Westmead’s emergency department.
- Patients waiting over 48 hours
- 12
- Patients waiting over 100 hours
- 7
- Longest wait
- More than 148 hours
- Hospital
- Westmead Hospital, Sydney’s west
- Patients’ planned transfer destination
- Cumberland Hospital
- On-time treatment rate
- 49.1 per cent
What people are saying
One-hundred and fifty hours is something I have never, ever, ever seen or imagined
It's unconscionable how awful it is for those people, how awful it is for patients with unrelated medical issues around them and the potential danger to the staff.
Consumers awaiting transfer to a mental health facility receive ongoing treatment in the emergency department, under the care of a psychiatrist.
While I can't comment on individual patients, any person remaining in an emergency department while awaiting transfer continues to receive care and clinical oversight