Ibiza and Formentera Psychiatry Unit Deals with Staff Shortage
What’s Happening?
The psychiatry team in Ibiza and Formentera is working with only half of its usual staff. Seven out of fourteen psychiatrists have left their posts, causing the service to reorganize and bring in temporary help. As of this Tuesday, five professionals are still absent, but officials say things are slowly returning to normal.
Why Did the Staff Leave?
The departures were linked to how the service was managed. After concerns rose from local groups and associations, the health authority launched a mediation process. This led to a restructuring of the unit and the previous coordinator stepping down.
Appointments That Were Canceled
According to the health authority (ASEF), 144 appointments were cancelled between May and July. An advocacy group, Aspadif, had suggested the number could be closer to 500, but ASEF points out that a doctors’ strike also took place during that period, making it hard to separate the causes.
Patients Not Showing Up
Missed appointments are a bigger problem in psychiatry than in other hospital departments. While other services see a no‑show rate of about 10‑12%, psychiatry’s rate climbs to 20‑22%. In the same May‑July window, there were 166 missed visits—22 more than the cancelled appointments.
Waiting Times for Young People
For child and adolescent mental health, Aspadif claimed an average wait of about a year. ASEF reports a shorter wait: the average delay for a first visit in June was 51 days, and the yearly average so far is 33 days. They note that short spikes (like the June figure) don’t always reflect the overall trend.
Steps Toward Improvement
ASEF highlights several actions that are helping:
- Adding psychology consultations in primary care
- Bringing in reinforcements such as a clinical psychologist (starting this Wednesday), an occupational therapist (arriving this month), and a full‑time social worker
- Reorganizing the unit and completing the mediation process
They believe these measures will gradually reduce delays and allow the team to catch up on postponed activities.
Making Data More Reliable
Currently, mental‑health statistics are collected differently from other services, using older, paper‑based methods. ASEF says they are working to align data collection with the standards used elsewhere, so future numbers will be clearer and comparable.
Conclusion
The psychiatry unit in Ibiza and Formentera is navigating a tough period after losing half its psychiatrists. While cancellations and missed appointments have risen, the health authority is responding with staff additions, procedural changes, and better data tracking. Officials expect a steady return to normal capacity in the coming weeks, which should improve access to mental‑health care for both adults and young people on the islands.
Source
Images Credit: www.diariodeibiza.es