Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey
The country's mental health system has received its first report card on progress toward the government's five targets to improve services.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the results represented a "commendable effort" by services, but there was still work to do, especially in some regions.
The results for July to September released today https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/corporate-information/planning-and-performance/health-targets/mental-health-and-addiction-targets/performance show:
- 80.4 percent of people accessing specialist mental health and addiction services seen within three weeks. Target: 80 percent.
- 80.8 percent of people referred to the primary mental health and addiction Access and Choice programme seen within one week. Target: 80 percent, although Health NZ admits there is no standard data collection yet.
- 63.5 percent of mental health and addiction-related emergency department presentations were admitted, discharged, or transferred within six hours. Target: 95 percent.
- 457 mental health and addiction professionals were trained in 2024. The target is 500 per year.
The fifth target - to have 25 percent of mental health and addiction funding allocated to "prevention and early intervention" by 2030 - was at 23.9 percent as of June 2023.
National Chief Mental Health and Addiction Dr Leeanne Fisher said while it appeared Health NZ was already meeting two of the targets, results could change as more work was needed "to improve data collection, quality, and completeness".
"As the quality of our data improves, so too will the accuracy of our performance results against targets, and thereby our understanding of what is needed to achieve them."
Health NZ was also developing a work programme to increase access to support, and grow the workforce.
On Friday, it published "high level implementation plans", which set out steps for achieving the targets by 2030.
"There is still work to do to ensure people presenting to EDs with mental health and addiction needs receive clinical assessment and treatment in a more timely manner," Fisher said.
"The time people spend in ED is one measure of how the whole system is working to support patients and their families, and we are focused on improving performance in this area and across the wider health system."
Of the 457 people trained in 2024, there were 299 Nursing Entry to Specialist Practice, 93 Allied health workers, and 65 psychology intern placements.
Doocey said certain districts needed to improve services.
"While the nationwide picture is on the right track, drilling down to regional data shows certain groups are well below the target, such as Greater Wellington, where only 68.8 percent of adults are seen for a specialist mental health appointment within three-weeks.
"I am concerned by the access to services for under 25s in a number of districts. For example, only around 48 percent of under 25-year-olds in Nelson Marlborough were seen for a specialist appointment within the three-week time frame."
ED wait times also needed major focus, with just 35 percent of patients in the Wellington region waiting less than six hours, and 40 percent in Counties Manukau, against the target of 95 percent.
"As New Zealand's first Minister for Mental Health, I am clear that accountability is vital.
"These targets should drive faster access and enable us to identify where the mental health and addiction system needs the most support."
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