Hon Stephen Dawson's question regarding child and adolescent psychiatrist numbers and wait times in WA was largely unanswered due to data limitations in tracking private practitioners. The response highlights the Department of Health's monitoring of public mental health referrals based on clinical need.

AnsweredQoN 2006Legislative Council
Asked
22 October 2014
Portfolio
Mental Health

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to child and adolescent psychiatrists's in Western Australia, and I ask: (a) what has been the number of child and adolescent psychiatrists's per 100,000 by region for each of the past five years; and (b) what has been the average waiting time to see a child psychiatrist by region for each of the past five years?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
17 February 2015
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health
Response time
118 days
(a) As there are a number of private psychiatrists that work in their own practices or within the private health system, the Department of Health does not keep a record of all registered and practicing child psychiatrists in Western Australia.
(b) Similarly, as there are a number of private psychiatrists that work in their own practices or within the private health system, wait times for children referred to see a child and adolescent psychiatrist are not recorded for all registered and practicing child psychiatrists in Western Australia. Within the public mental health system, all referrals are continually monitored and prioritised according to clinical presentation and acuity.

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