Next Steps For Specialist Mental Health And Addiction Services
Budget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s
commitment to better services and support for mental
wellbeing.
The upcoming Budget will include a
$100-million investment over four years for a specialist
mental health and addiction package, including:
· $27m for community-based crisis services that will deliver a variety of intensive supports such as residential and home-based crisis respite, community crisis teams, co-response teams, and peer-led services in the community and as part of care teams.
· $18.7m to enhance existing specialist child and adolescent mental health and addiction services so that around 1,300 young people can be supported by more clinical, peer support and cultural support staff;
· $10m for workforce development to build the capability and capacity of the specialist services workforce.
“Labour is the first government to take mental health seriously. In three years we’ve made the biggest ever investment to build a solid foundation for a whole new mental health and addiction system,” Health Minister Andrew Little said.
“We commissioned
the He Ara Oranga report, which showed the first step was
making it easier to get help earlier and closer to home, so
small issues don’t become big
problems.
“That’s why we rolled out the Access
and Choice programme and other initiatives to provide free
mental health and addiction support at local doctors and
schools, kaupapa Māori and Pacific settings, as well as
universities, online, on the phone and through smart
apps.
“More than 380,000 primary mental
wellbeing sessions have been delivered and more than 900
additional FTEs are working to support mental wellbeing in
the community.
“Now in Budget 2022 we’ll roll
out the plan to improve services for people who have the
highest needs. The mental wellbeing of kiwis is crucial for
individuals as well as the economic security of New
Zealand.
“People with severe mental health and
addiction issues and their families have been patient
through inaction by previous governments. They know building
reliable services takes time. Now, three years into the plan
to build a whole new mental health system, New Zealand is
finally getting closer to a system we can be proud of,”
Andrew Little
said.