THE recovery of mentally ill people seeking treatment in Frankston is being compromised because there are not enough hospital beds or staff members to treat them.

The claim was made last week by Health and Community Services Union state secretary Lloyd Williams as mental health workers from Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula rallied outside Frankston MP Geoff Shaw's office over better pay, conditions, funding for services and more staff.

Before the rally, the group handed out and letterboxed flyers in Frankston encouraging the public to ask Mr Shaw to advocate for better mental health services.

Mr Williams said while mental health problems represented 20 per cent of the illness burden, the sector received between 7-10 per cent of the health budget. He said the union had been negotiating with the state government for four months.

"They are not negotiating in good faith. They're turning up to the meetings but they're not saying anything."

Mr Williams told the Weekly that a lack of beds and staff members meant that people presenting at Frankston Hospital's emergency ward with mental health problems were being sent home early.

A lack of community workers also meant that those discharged were not receiving adequate care to aid their recovery once home and often presented at the hospital again, compounding strain on an already stressed system.

"These people need recovery follow-ups so that they don't end up back in hospital but the government does not seem to understand. Staff are leaving because of the stress and pressure."

Mr Williams said a "major workplace crisis," was taking place because demand for mental health services was rising by 8 to 10 per cent per year. "A 30 to 40-person case load is terrible for clinicians."

Although staff were dedicated and working hard, they did not have the resources to cope with community demand, particularly in growth areas such as Frankston and the peninsula, he said.