BUSSELTON — A 17-year-old from Western Australia's South West region waited 116 hours in a hospital emergency department for a mental health bed in March. She was then transferred approximately 300 kilometers away to the Joondalup Mental Health Unit in northern Perth.
Maddi, then 17, had attempted suicide twice before being transported to Busselton Health Campus. Psychiatric nurses identified her as high risk.
During her time in the emergency department, Maddi described the experience as uncomfortable. "I basically just lay there and did nothing." Maddi said. "It was just uncomfortable and lonely."
Tara, Maddi's mother, said she struggled to maintain hope. "I was trying to convince her that we need to stay and this is where we get help, but I was struggling towards the end to believe that myself," Tara said.
"It just wasn't a nice experience, I wanted to go home every day." Maddi said. "I only got one visit in the five days I was in the ward up in Perth, and that was it."
Mark Holloway, WA Country Health Service director of medical services, wrote to the family. "I am truly sorry that we were unable to provide her with timely access to the specialised environment and treatment she required," Holloway wrote. He stated, "The prolonged boarding of patients in emergency departments while awaiting mental health beds has become increasingly common." Holloway wrote, "This situation has been significantly exacerbated in the Southwest by the reduction in acute inpatient mental health beds since August 2025 as part of the Bunbury Regional Hospital redevelopment, with capacity reduced from 23 beds to 11 during this period."
Western Australian Health Minister Meredith Hammat apologized for the delay. The government recently opened a 40-bed expansion of a mental health facility at Fremantle Hospital. Hammat said in a podcast interview that eight places were available in the Mental Health Hospital in the Home program.