Despite the Government announcing $1.9 billion for mental health, the state of New Zealand’s mental health services is worse now than it was when Labour took office, National’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Spokesperson Matt Doocey says.

“Mental health is an urgent issue in this country, with increasing demand for services, yet the Government has no plan to address it beyond simply announcing money.

“In the last four years, the Government has only added the equivalent of fewer than two full-time psychiatrists and 13 full-time psychologists to the workforce.

“Almost double the number of mental health nurses are leaving the workforce than those joining. The recruitment of 234 new mental health nurses will do very little when 452 mental health nurses left last year.

“This is devastating for those trapped on ballooning waitlists and their families.

“The Government needs a plan for growing the workforce and addressing our urgent mental health challenges. It’s not good enough to simply announce funding and then walk away without ensuring that the investment can deliver results.”

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