The closure of the psychiatric outpatients department without a concrete plan to transfer all patients to community clinics has brought about increased concerns amongst service users, their carers and professionals, the Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW) said.

In a statement, the association said that professionals bound by duty of care are concerned about the postponement of appointments on multiple occasions. 

While some patients, or their carers, are able to reach out for help and get an appointment, there is grave concern for those with serious mental illness who lack insight and who might fall through the cracks and remain in the community untreated, with serious consequences.

There is also concern about the lack of human resources to meet the high demands and this concern extends to those who will shoulder medical legal responsibility should something happen due to a lack of human resources.

The MASW appealed for the mental health community clinics to be housed in appropriate premises, whereby each member of the multidisciplinary team could offer quality service.

It said it supported the Alliance for Mental Health in its concern that mental health issues were on the increase and would continue to affect people even when COVID-19 was under control. 

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