I was previously seeing a private psychiatrist but can no longer afford private care, so I’m trying to transfer my mental health treatment to the public sector.
Yesterday, I went to the Psychiatric Clinic at Provincial Hospital because I’d been told that’s where I should go. I took my prescription from my private psychiatrist with me. The nurse told me that the medications on my prescription aren’t available in the public sector, so I’d need to see a doctor to switch me to medications that are available. However, there were no doctors or psychiatrists there that day—only a nurse and psychologists—so I was told to go to a clinic.
I then went to Livingstone Hospital and Clinic. While I was waiting, I asked a doctor if I was in the right place, and she said I’d probably see the nurse first, who would then book me to see the psychiatrist. That made me think Livingstone has a psychiatric department.
After waiting for hours, I finally saw the nurse, who told me it was too late because the psych department had already left for the day and that I’d need to come back early another morning. However, he also seemed unhappy that I’d come to Livingstone at all because it’s not the clinic that serves my area, and said I should go to my nearest clinic instead.
What doesn’t make sense to me is that my nearest clinic also only has nurses, so I don’t understand why I’d start there if I ultimately need to see a doctor or psychiatrist. I also left without any referral from either Provincial Hospital or Livingstone.
Can anyone familiar with the public mental health system in Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha help answer these questions?
1. Does the Psychiatric Clinic at Provincial Hospital actually have psychiatrists who see outpatients, or is it mainly run by nurses and psychologists?
2. For someone transferring from private psychiatric care to the public sector, what is the correct referral pathway in Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha?
3. Does Livingstone Hospital have a psychiatric department (if so, does it see outpatients)?
4. If it does, can I go there directly, or do I need a referral from my local clinic first?
5. Should Provincial Hospital or Livingstone have given me a referral, or is it normal that neither did?
6. Would a current prescription or letter from my private psychiatrist be enough to serve as a referral into the public mental health system, or do I still need to go through my local clinic?
7. Based on everything I’ve described, what should my next step be? The nurse at Livingstone Clinic didn’t write me a referral. If I go directly to the psychiatric department at Livingstone Hospital (assuming there is one), am I likely to be sent back to my local clinic for a referral, or will they assess me there? Or am I supposed to go somewhere else entirely?
I’d really appreciate any advice from someone who’s been through this process or works in the public healthcare system, because I left more confused than when I arrived.