RANZCP calls for National to match Labour’s focus on the health crisis ahead of October election

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) welcomes Labour's commitment, announced on Monday, to grow the health workforce including a focus on training and recruitment. The mental health system in particular is currently under-resourced and under-delivering for New Zealanders, plagued particularly by the workforce shortage.

Dr Hiran Thabrew, Chair of the RANZCP Tu Te Akaaka Roa, New Zealand National Committee, said, “We are experiencing a mental health crisis and New Zealanders cannot be given enough help, or the right help, in a system that’s operating at crisis-point. This demand will continue to grow but the system isn’t keeping up. Ahead of the federal election next month, we need National but equally all parties to consider urgent, concrete reform and action, ensuring the mental health care and addiction system can meet the growing needs of the community.”

The RANZCP is calling on all political parties to make mental health a priority for the next parliament.

RANZCP is calling for commitments to:

1. Urgently address the workforce shortage

• Invest $60 million investment over six years to support 60 new psychiatry trainees through the system and into practice.

2. Support the 260,000 New Zealanders suffering from moderate-to-severe mental illness with the greatest need:

• Increase future mental health budgets to meet population growth and the rising cost of existing services by $7.7 million per year, equating to $25m over three years
• Commit to the spending previously announced - provide the mental health budget for mental health services.

3. Commit to making evidence-based decisions:

• Invest $27 million over three years for a survey to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mental health and wellbeing of New Zealanders
• Establish a clinical quality registry program to monitor the quality of mental healthcare
• Funding to establish systematic, regular collection of workforce data.