AMA calls for better long-term care for people with severe mental illness
08 Oct 2026
The AMA has released its new position statement, Supporting Australians with severe and enduring mental illness 2026, following concerns raised by doctors working across mental health services.
An AMA survey found that nearly all clinicians who responded rated the current system as either “poorly” or “very poorly” supporting people with severe and enduring mental illness.
The AMA says many people with complex, long-term mental illness are moving between emergency departments, hospitals, crisis services and, in some cases, the justice system because they cannot access consistent and coordinated care.
It also says mental health services have increasingly shifted away from ongoing care and therapeutic relationships towards short-term and fragmented services that can be difficult to navigate.
The AMA is calling for governments to recognise severe and enduring mental illness as a specific policy priority and invest in medically led, integrated models of care.
The position statement calls for:
- more mental health beds
- expanded rehabilitation services
- more step-up and step-down services
- greater investment in multidisciplinary community mental health teams
- better coordination between health, disability, housing, alcohol and other drug services, and psychosocial support.
The AMA says long-term reform will require stronger coordination across these sectors, as well as sustained investment and shared responsibility.
AMA calls for better long-term care for people with severe mental illness
Source: Australian Medical Association (AMA)