Photo: 123 RF
Mental health professionals at an Auckland Conference are hopeful a funding boost of more than $60 million will improve what's been called a fragmented and inconsistent crisis response system.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey made the announcement in Auckland today alongside experts from Australia and New Zealand at the Hauora hinengaro conference.
He announced the funding injection in front of a packed room of experts both local and from across the ditch this morning.
The minister hoped it would provide additional support for those reaching out for help, but there are those with questions about its roll out.
"What we're going to announce today is the next phase of building out a crisis support package," he said
"We want to bolster mental health crisis support in New Zealand."
The funding means [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/577877/government-announces-61-point-6-million-boost-for-crisis-response-services $61.6 million over the next four years for additional crisis assessment teams, more peer support in emergency departments, more Crisis Recovery Cafés, and more 10-bed acute alternatives.
Speaking to media afterwards, Doocey said the work force is there to meet the additional services.
"I think at the moment we are seeing more workforce available to us," Doocey said.
"Since coming to office, we now have around 10 percent more frontline mental health workers employed by Health NZ, so we're comfortable that we can find those staff."
A report from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission found crisis response services were fragmented, inconsistent across the country, and difficult to navigate.
Doocey said they would be held accountable to the targets they had set.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
"We've set a target of one-week access for primary mental health and addiction support, three-week for specialist, and we are publishing that data every quarter.
"My expectation is that that $2.8 billion we'll spend on mental health this year flows into areas that are not performing..."
Emma Constantine was a peer services manager from the Health Action Trust from Nelson and who was at Wednesday's conference.
She said the minister's announcement built on existing work.
"Hugely excited to hear about the peer-led respite services, or the peer-led alternatives to acute, I think that's something that we have been doing for a while here but we need more of it."
While she welcomed the additional support, Constantine said more preventative work must be done.
"We design systems for crisis from a place of crisis, so we design them from a place where we're really worried, we want to fix things, and it's good to have more workers, it's good to have more beds, but I worry that we're not paying attention to the things that will stop people getting to the crisis," she said.
Board co-chair of Wellington based youth service Evolve, Daniel Mitchell, said any funding was a positive - but was holding judgement until he saw results.
"For us, one of the big challenges at the moment is that referral pathway into accessing crisis services from the primary care," he said.
"So, in theory, this could be a good thing for us and help smooth out that process and ensure our young people get the additional care they need. Again, Whether that happens, we'll wait and see, but we're hopeful."
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