25 May 2017
Mental health worker: budget distressing

Mental Health social worker Andy Colwell says the new budget for mental health is distressing.

YesWeCare.nz campaign coordinator Simon Oosterman says mental health has been underfunded by more than $50m and health as a whole by $300m in 2017/18 alone.

Andy Colwell, speaking as a member of the Public Service Association (PSA), says the gap between demand and funding is getting bigger.

“As a mental health worker it is frustrating seeing struggling families in life threatening situations being told they can't be seen due to underfunding,” he says. “This budget means the situation is going to get worse and that is incredibly distressing.”

Oosterman says the budget announcement was disappointing but not surprising.

“We’ve had nine years of a Government that has allowed mental health services and struggling Kiwis to spiral into crisis,” he says. “We need an urgent independent review to develop a new approach to mental health that values service users and staff.”

YesWeCare.nz is a coalition of health users, community groups and people working in health calling for a fully-funded health system.

ENDS

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