"Mental Health Crisis support"

I attended Joondalup recently with my relative. They had posted on their social media page saying goodbye to their 2 little beautiful children, I knew that I needed to do something to help my relative, so it took me a couple of hours to convince them to come with me to the hospital to get some sort of help for them.

We arrived at Joondalup ED in the afternoon spoke to the triage nurse explained their situation and was asked to wait on the grey chairs in the waiting room, we understand that ED is a very busy place, and it could be a long wait. We had a young mental health nurse come and ask us through to a quiet room to speak with us she was very comforting and understanding of my relative's situation.

We were then guided back to the very full nosey waiting room while the nurse went and got some medication for my relative to calm them down a bit and was asked to wait untill they call their name to come through and see a DR.

We waited for hours asked to see how much longer and they informed us there were quiet a few in front of us. Once again, we understand the long waits in ED eventually we were called to go through to the next section of the hospital to be seen. They took us through to the Mental Health waiting area in the hospital, it still took which seemed like 2 hrs to be seen by a DR spoke with my relative about what was going on for them, the DR said they will be back shortly with a plan on what will happen.

When the DR came back, they informed us that they had handed my relative's situation across to the Psychologist Dr and they will see my relative soon. The long wait for several hours from early afternoon till later in the evening my relative had a couple of short naps, but the last nap was to much for them and they became very agitated, yelling a bit and not listening to me to try and calm them down.

The nurses came and asked if it was my relative yelling to which my relative told them yes, I have been waiting for so long I just want to be seen by a DR if this won't happen now, I am leaving. The nurses left and came back with the Psychologist Dr who informed my relative that they are very busy, and they may be another few hrs. There was no suggestion of offering any more medication to calm my relative down or any other options. They left then came back with discharge papers for my relative to sign as they wanted to leave right or wrong.

I completely understand the policy around bad behaviour in hospitals, My question to you all is when you present to ED with suicide ideation and had taken some tablets to just go to sleep post your goodbyes to family on social media, why is there not a quiet place for people with mental health illness / crisis to go? Why is it such long wait for this section? I know you have to be cleared medically first before seeing someone from the Mental Health Team. I'm sure that I am not the only person who has had this experience, I understand the government has spent so much on the upgrade to Joondalup Mental Health Ward but still, based on my experience I think people are falling through the gaps and sadly may pass away from not been seen quicker through the system.