Frontline staff are often unfairly blamed for NSW’s collapsing mental health system, but it is patients who suffer most | Kamran Ahmed

Psychiatrists in New South Wales are asking for a pay rise to plug the haemorrhage of senior doctors from the mental health system.

More than a third of positions are vacant, which means the burden of extra work falls on those remaining.

As psychiatrists we care for some of the most vulnerable members of society.

We do our best to provide cover but inevitably patients do not receive the care they need.