The recent announcement of a new mental health service by the government has garnered praise from New Zealand’s Mental Health Foundation, signaling hopes for a more effective approach to addressing mental health crises.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey revealed plans for the introduction of a new service designed to reduce the number of individuals seeking assistance for mental health concerns in emergency departments. The initiative, slated for a trial run later this year, aims to enhance outcomes for those in crisis while alleviating the strain on clinical staff in hospitals.
According to Minister Doocey, the current estimates suggest that between 13,000 and 14,600 individuals seek help annually in emergency departments for mental health issues, although the actual figure could be higher due to data limitations.
As New Zealand’s inaugural mental health minister, Doocey emphasized the importance of incorporating peer support specialists into mental health services to address existing challenges effectively. Peer support specialists, drawing from personal experiences, provide invaluable assistance to individuals grappling with mental health issues and substance use, offering a unique perspective that professional training cannot replicate.
The trial of this new service, slated to commence in June, will initially be implemented in four yet-to-be-named hospitals. Doocey estimates the annual cost per hospital to range between $300,000 and $500,000, emphasizing the potential of this initiative to alleviate the strain on emergency departments, which have become overwhelmed with various issues, including mental health concerns.
Anticipating positive outcomes, Doocey revealed plans to extend the program to an additional four hospitals in the second year of the trial, with the intention to scale it up across all hospitals if successful.
In a commitment to addressing disparities in mental health treatment, Doocey previously pledged to adopt a “by Māori, for Māori” approach, particularly crucial as recent data from Health NZ – Te Whatu Ora highlighted a concerning disparity in suicide rates between Māori and non-Māori populations.
The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand expressed delight at the government’s initiative, hailing it as a long-awaited solution advocated by the foundation and others within the sector. Shaun Robinson, Chief Executive of MHF, lauded the decision to invest in peer support within emergency departments, emphasizing its potential to revolutionize the mental health and addiction system, benefitting the entire sector.
