Violence and sexual assault in Victoria's mental health facilities is soaring - and bed shortages are being blamed.

The latest snapshot of the state's mental health system shows increased safety risks for both patients and staff, despite hundreds of millions of dollars in extra government funding.

The report from the Public Advocate’s office, based on accounts by Community Visitors which conducts unannounced spot checks around the state, outlines a litany of violence, including:

The female mental health patient who was sexually abused by a male patient in a women’s-only corridor.

The man in the acute unit who tried to strangle a woman in urgent need of treatment.