Latest news with #PhilGrady
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- NZ Herald
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown renews calls for Auckland bed tax
Today on The Front Page, University of Otago senior politics professor Dr Leon Goldsmith is with us to unpack the complexities of this never-ending conflict. Tauranga's Flynn Chisholm breaks the New Zealand record for a Døds dive, leaping from a 40m cliff in Majorca. Video / Instagram @fizzysends Discover Japan, don't just visit it Commuters wait on a full train as infrastructure issues suspend train operations. Speaker Gerry Brownlee told her to leave the House for the rest of the week due to her remarks. Video / Parliament Video Ministry of Health Director of Mental Health Dr John Crawshaw and Health NZ National Director, Mental Health and Addictions Service Enhancement Phil Grady address the media. Nearly 300 children from around Rotorua got the chance to train with NBA star Steven Adams today. Video / Kelly Makiha NZ Herald Afternoon News Update | NZ's economic outlook and Aotea Square bomb scare Aotea Square was evacuated after an unidentified bag was found, sparking fears of a potential bomb threat. Video / Alyse Wright Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins in the aftermath of the latest polls. Video / Mark Mitchell Ministry of Health Director of Mental Health Dr John Crawshaw and Health NZ National Director, Mental Health and Addictions Service Enhancement Phil Grady address the media. Senior reporter Melissa Nightingale talks to Herald NOW about the young man's sentence. Trip Notes Podcast host Lorna Riley discusses the world's most important hotel and Amsterdam's strategies to tackle the challenges of overtourism. Video / Herald NOW Brent Carey, CEO of Netsafe, explains the risks and safety concerns related to Instagram's recently introduced location feature. Video / Herald NOW Spark has announced it has sold 75% of its data business to Pacific Equity Partners.
RNZ News
12-08-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Staff shortages, nurses 'afraid to come to work' at Canterbury's Mental Health Services, review finds
Health New Zealand National Director, Mental Health and Addictions Service Enhancement Phil Grady speaks at the release of Canterbury's Mental Health Services review after the killing of Laisa Waka Tunidau by Zakariye Mohamed Hussein. Photo: Nathan Mckinnon / RNZ An inquiry into Canterbury's Mental Health Services found "significant" problems in the service's governance, care model and resourcing. The findings included "critical staff shortages," staffing vacancies affecting admissions and discharge processes, a "siloed culture and care model", concerns about the service's governance and delayed resourcing decisions at the regional governance level. The final report, released three years after it began, has 18 recommendations aimed at addressing the key issues. Health New Zealand (HNZ) has acknowledged the "significant failings" and is committed to implementing the recommendations. The daughter of a woman murdered by a mental health patient last year says the report "confirms a very broken mental health system". "I think it's a tragedy this report has taken so long so long to be finalised and released. I can see numerous aspects in it that, if they had been remedied earlier, could have prevented the death of my mother." Director of Mental Health Dr John Crawshaw began his inquiry under section 99 of the Mental Health Act in June 2022 after Hillmorton forensic mental health patient Zakariye Mohamed Hussein murdered Laisa Waka Tunidau as she walked home from work. Ministry of Health Director of Mental Health Dr John Crawshaw speaks at the release of Canterbury's Mental Health Services review after the killing of Laisa Waka Tunidau by Zakariye Mohamed Hussein. Photo: Nathan Mckinnon / RNZ Hussein was on community leave at the time of the killing. It is only the second time such an inquiry has taken place. Dr Crawshaw released his review on Tuesday. He said drafting of the report took longer than anticipated due to several factors including the extreme weather events in 2023 and delays in receiving key information. Dr Crawshaw said in his report the inspection arose from concerns he held "as to whether there were systemic issues in these services". "The Director needed assurance that the services were complying with legislation and related guidelines, and were able to deliver appropriate care and treatment for tāngata whaiora [patients or consumers] under their care." Dr Crawshaw said at the time of the inspection the then-Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) had a population of nearly 600,000 people and was one of the largest DHBs. The district had been exposed to several significant events including the earthquakes of 2010/2011, several serious floods, the Kaikōura earthquakes, Port Hills Fire, the Christchurch terror attack and Covid-19. The events contributed to "increased strain" on specialist mental health services and said the mental health services were "not well placed" to meet the additional strain. His report said the "most significant and prevailing issue" concerned staffing in the clinical areas, especially the adult inpatient, community and forensic services. "In the inpatient areas, there were daily issues in ensuring minimum safe staffing levels." The divisional leadership team had "significant concerns" about the number of staff vacancies and the "relatively junior nature" of the clinical staff in some areas. When the inspection took place the impact of Covid-19 was a "significant exacerbating factor". From left, Nemani Tunidau, Eparama Tunidau and Laisa Waka Tunidau. Photo: Supplied "While the effects were different across the various disciplines, it was evident that all disciplines … were affected. In addition, it was clear that not all disciplines felt heard and involved in clinical decisions. "There were reports of impacts on clinical care. Forensic mental health services were particularly challenged. Not only were there issues in maintaining minimum safe staffing levels, there were issues associated with the experience and seniority of staff." There were "critical shortages" of staff in many areas of the service, particularly inpatient units. "Clinicians frequently used the phrase 'on numbers', referring to being deployed to an inpatient unit to bring up the numbers of staff on a roster to a perceived safe capacity. "The inspection team heard concerns that people were working overtime and double shifts, to meet the 'on numbers' expectation. While the magnitude of the issue was unclear, it was raised repeatedly by staff in interviews. Some staff stated that they no longer wished to do overtime and double shifts due to the level of personal stress and strain it caused them." Dr Crawshaw said in some interviews a "palpable level of distress was evident". The staffing shortages appeared to particularly impact forensic mental health services, he said. "The clinicians seemed tired. There was a sense that many of them were no longer putting in discretionary effort, due to fatigue and burnout. Many clinicians spoke of the 'moral injury' they experienced by being obliged to provide suboptimal care to tāngata whaiora." In June another Hillmorton mental health patient, Elliot Cameron was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years for murdering 83-year-old Frances Anne Phelps, known as Faye in October last year. Photo: Pool/ NZME / George Heard In relation to nursing staff, Canterbury, like other services across the country, had a challenge with a "missing middle" - nurses who were "competent and experienced but still have a long career in front of them". When the inspection was carried out there was a group of staff nearing retirement. They appeared "fatigued and were possibly experiencing burnout". Some of the new graduates had been placed in "unsafe situations". "For example, a newly graduated registered nurse spoke of arriving for a shift at the forensic mental health inpatient unit and being told that they would be the shift leader, a task they felt wholly unprepared for." Some nursing staff were "afraid to come to work" with an "unacceptably high rate" of assaults on nursing staff by patients. "Staff reports of experiencing the clinical environment as unsafe were particularly prevalent in forensic services. There, staff described how a number of senior staff had recently left, particularly from the acute medium secure unit. "This had left both a gap in staff numbers and a gap in expertise. Some staff appeared to be distressed by and angry at the situation; particularly those working in the acute medium secure forensic ward." The service capped inpatient beds to ensure minimum staffing levels, with 193 beds. At the time of the inspection there were 178 in use or available. Dr Crawshaw said the response, while "understandable" from the desire to maintain minimum safe staffing levels, had "brought challenges". Some staff said there were occasions when patients needed to be managed overnight in a unit or ward different to the one they were admitted to, and others felt there was "general pressure" for early discharge or delayed admission. "Community staff raised concerns regarding the perceived risks they were holding and managing as a result. Some expressed concern that this was resulting in suboptimal care for tāngata whaiora." The bed number caps also meant that sometimes people with serious mental illness who had not entered treatment through the justice system "fell out of care or were unable to be admitted". Frontline forensic mental health staff expressed "significant concern" about their safety and ability to provide a service. "The inspection team heard there was a particular difficulty in the acute medium-secure unit. Apparently, a significant number of senior staff had retired or left that unit, affecting both staff numbers and experience levels." Of the staff in the unit 50 percent had less than three years' experience working in health services. Dr Crawshaw said that on numerous occasions, the forensic mental health clinical governance team raised concerns to senior management about shortages of staff in the service. The inspection team also heard there was a tendency to blame individuals. "Interviewees used the term 'a culture of blame' and described situations where bullying had occurred and staff had been prevented from escalating issues due to a fear of repercussions." He said overall the staff appeared "dedicated to providing the best care they were able to". However, they felt care was compromised in several ways including staff limitations, and the increased pressure for early discharge. "In some cases, people required readmission following discharge, or, where they were not readmitted, their mental state and care deteriorated in the community. "Sometimes, staffing and bed capacity issues meant admission was delayed for people who required care." Dr Crawshaw said the observations were similar to what he had heard from other services around the country. "However, staff in Canterbury - Waitaha were particularly stressed." There were also concerns about how the service was incorporating te ao Māori into their model of care. "This was of particular concern to the inspection team given the cultural needs of the people accessing the forensic mental health services at the time of the inspection." The inspection team had "significant concerns" about the functioning of operational and clinical governance within the service. He was also told that clinical governance at a district level was not working effectively and that an emergency framework had been put in place. Dr Crawshaw did not receive a draft clinical governance structure at a level above the service until March 2024. "Staff reported difficulties in the escalation and consultation processes and gave examples of issues that had not been effectively resolved." He said there was an "overall reactive mode of governance". "Senior leadership was aware of the impact of staffing issues and had been putting reactive plans in place under urgency to address this (often daily). However, this very short-term focus compounded governance and communication issues." He said nationally all mental health, addiction and intellectual disability services are "under pressure". Several common challenges included mental health services struggling to improve access for Māori, the need for mental health services being greater than available sources and a "shortage" of suitably qualified mental health clinicians as well as a need for investment in facilities. "When things go wrong during the delivery of mental health services, service providers are subject to intense scrutiny and criticism. As a result, many mental health clinicians practice in a risk-averse manner. This also affects staff recruitment and retention." Dr Crawshaw's 18 recommendations looked at three of the main concerns raised: governance, care model and resourcing. "The uniting thread across these recommendations is the need for better cooperation between leadership and service delivery to prioritise these services, enable staff to do their best, improve the models of care and plan for the future." His recommendations included prioritising and focusing on mental health service performance, implementing clear pathways of decision-making and governance, and reviewing the care model. He also recommended the organisation focus "maximum effort" on staff recruitment, retention, supervision, training and mentoring. There also needed to be strategies developed long-term management, budget, staffing and facilities as well as establishing and investing in a Māori mental health service. HNZ national director of mental health and addications Phil Grady acknowledged the "significant failings" identified in the report. HNZ was "committed" to implementing the recommendations to "prevent the tragic events of 2022 and 2024 from happening again". "We recognise the loss and grief these families have and continue to experience and express our sincere condolences to them. We are deeply sorry for the failings in our systems. "We have reached out to these families to apologise and discuss Dr Crawshaw's report, and will remain in contact, if that is their choice, to update them on progress to implement actions from the report." HNZ accepted all of Dr Crawshaw's findings and had an action plan in place to implement the recommendations, which focused on the underlying issues related to governance, the care model, and resourcing. "We are focused on continuing to provide senior leadership oversight of planning for the service, building a framework, and ensuring there is sufficient staff with the right level of training and experience to safely and effectively deliver services." Photo: RNZ / Logan Church Grady said there had been "demonstrable progress" on key recommendations including establishing a clinical governance framework and increasing clinical staffing by 11 per cent since 2022. Clinical decision making on patient leave was "consistent with policies" and there were weekly audits of compliance in place. "There are clear pathways both within the service and nationally within Health New Zealand to escalate and manage risk. " In addition to recommendations identified in the report, HNZ had already made improvements to embed regional planning, decision making and information flow, increase staff recruitment, upskilling and training across the service, develop a cultural narrative to include a te ao Māori perspective, and upgrade a range of facilities. "To ensure progress of the recommendations continue, we welcome Dr Crawshaw's increased oversight of the service over the next 12 months. "We are committed to improving the service and our actions will be closely measured against this report, and two other event reviews conducted by Health New Zealand." In June another Hillmorton mental health patient, Elliot Cameron was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years for murdering 83-year-old Frances Anne Phelps, known as Faye in October last year. Phelps' daughter, Karen Phelps, told RNZ that while the report did not specifically address her mother's case there were "many serious issues" identified that had "negatively impacted the ability to deliver services". "Most of these issues are no surprise as they were blatantly apparent in my mother's case namely staff shortages, communication and governance issues, pressure for early discharge and not enough funding to provide adequate services and care. "It's no surprise that Elliot Cameron was encouraged to move out of Hillmorton, that he was not being supervised or under treatment and his aggravated symptoms were not addressed. This report confirms a very broken mental health system. "So now the question remains will this be remedied, which will require significant funding, and that doesn't seem to be a priority for this government, or will another member of the public be killed? I think it's a tragedy this report has taken so long to be finalised and released as I can see numerous aspects in it that, if they had been remedied earlier, could have prevented the death of my mother. It's a timely reminder that every day counts when serious mental health service issues are identified and every day they are not remedied puts the public at risk." Following his sentencing a suppression order was lifted allowing RNZ to report Cameron killed his brother Jeffrey Cameron in 1975. A jury found him not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and he was detained as a special patient. Cameron was made a voluntary patient at Hillmorton Hospital in 2016, and then in October last year murdered Phelps, striking her with an axe. RNZ exclusively obtained emails from Cameron to his cousin Alan Cameron sent over more than a decade, detailing his concerns that he might kill again. In response to the revelations, Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money said it was hard to see Phelps' death as "anything other than preventable". RNZ earlier revealed another case involving a man who was made a special patient under the Mental Health Act after his first killing was recently found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity for a second time, after killing someone he believed was possessed. After that article, Money called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into forensic mental health facilities. After Cameron's first killing was revealed, Money said she stood by her recommendation. "The public deserves an inquiry that can give actionable expert recommendations, as opposed to multiple Coroners' inquests and recommendations that do not have the same binding influence. The patients themselves, and the public will be best served by an independent inquiry, not another internal review that changes nothing." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Police Won't Spend More Than An Hour On Most Mental Health Cases
More hospitals and communities will be subject to changes in the way police deal with mental health callouts after 19 May. Shorter hand-overs to Emergency Departments (EDs), and tighter rules for people in distress in police custody will be rolled out across more health districts in a little over a week's time. The changes are part of Phase Two of the police's withdrawal from mental health events, which were announced in August last year. They were initially planned to be implemented between January and March, but have been pushed amid safety concerns. The key changes in Phase Two are: Police spending no more than 60 minutes when handing over a person detained under the Mental Health Act to EDs, unless they consider there is an immediate risk to life or safety; People in custody under the Mental Health Act need to be taken to a health facility within 30 minutes. The changes kicked in across a first tranche of health districts on 14 April – including Waitematā, Counties Manukau, Waikato (excluding Tokoroa and Taumarunui), Nelson-Marlborough, and West Coast. On Tuesday, the police and Health New Zealand (HNZ) announced that from 19 May, the changes will be extended to Auckland, Canterbury, South Canterbury, Capital Coast and Hutt Valley, Wairarapa, Bay of Plenty, Lakes (excluding Taupō), Hawke's Bay (excluding Wairoa), Tairāwhiti, and Southern (excluding Waitaki and Southern Lakes) districts. The police said they expect that a third tranche of districts will see the Phase Two changes implemented after 16 June, pending final readiness assessments. Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson said police remained committed to a system that supported mental wellbeing, and gave people access to the best help that 'works for them'. 'Outside of an emergency, police have a threshold for what mental health related work sits with police and what doesn't,' he said. 'This supports us all to clarify roles and responses, ensuring police are only involved where it's appropriate – that means where there is an offence identified (that we would attend through normal prioritisation) or where there is an immediate risk to life or safety,' he added. HNZ national director of mental health and addiction Phil Grady said workforce shortages were a long-standing issue, with many comparable countries struggling with similar challenges. He said HNZ was continuing to recruit and fill mental health vacancies. Grady said HNZ continued to work with police, the Ministry of Health, St John ambulance and Wellington Free Ambulance on the changes to how agencies respond to mental health. HNZ director of specialist mental health and addiction, Karla Bergquist, said the safety and wellbeing of patients and staff was paramount. 'We have adopted a staged approach and extended our timeframes for Phase Two, introducing it in a planned and safe way,' she said. 'As part of this planning work, we have developed new procedures with clinical input and created training materials for staff to support them through this change.' The Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said in a statement that the safety of patients and staff has been and will remain the top priority through the change process. 'This is evident by this being a phased approach with each phase only being activated when and if it is safe to do so,' he said, pointing to that the districts greenlighted for Phase Two have been assessed for their readiness. 'At the end of the day, we want what's best for those suffering from mental distress. The approach we are transitioning to moves away from those seeking support to now receive a mental health response, rather than a criminal justice response,' he said. Doocey said he's made it a priority ensure that the government grows the mental health workforce. PSA union calling for better support Meanwhile the Public Service Association (PSA) is calling on the government to take urgent action to address what it said was an acute shortage of mental health workers. The union said it had sighted a draft report to Doocey, which stated that 1485 more frontline mental health and addiction workers were needed right now, including 470 specialist nurses, 145 psychiatrists and 145 clinical psychologists. 'There is a crisis in every hospital where mental health workers are under more pressure than ever. The phased withdrawal of police support is compounding the problem,' PSA's national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said. PSA was asking the government to fill all vacancies, lift the hiring ban across the country, and reinstate police support for all mental health call outs. RNZ has asked police, Health NZ and Police Minister Mark Mitchell for comment. Recent HNZ data showed hundreds more health workers were assaulted at work last year – with Auckland central and Waikato seeing the biggest spikes. Nationally, about 14,000 assaults on staff by patients, family members and visitors, were recorded in the two-year period between January 2023 and December 2024 – amounting to a 30 percent increase over the period. Auckland central (covering Auckland City Hospital, Starship Children's Hospital and Greenlane Clinical Centre) saw the number of attacks double over the period, and accounted for 57 percent of the national increase.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Police Won't Spend More Than An Hour On Most Mental Health Cases
Article – RNZ Shorter hand-overs to Emergency Departments (EDs), and tighter rules for people in distress in police custody will be rolled out across more health districts in a little over a week's time. The changes are part of Phase Two of the police's withdrawal from mental health events, which were announced in August last year. They were initially planned to be implemented between January and March, but have been pushed amid safety concerns. The key changes in Phase Two are: Police spending no more than 60 minutes when handing over a person detained under the Mental Health Act to EDs, unless they consider there is an immediate risk to life or safety; People in custody under the Mental Health Act need to be taken to a health facility within 30 minutes. The changes kicked in across a first tranche of health districts on 14 April – including Waitematā, Counties Manukau, Waikato (excluding Tokoroa and Taumarunui), Nelson-Marlborough, and West Coast. On Tuesday, the police and Health New Zealand (HNZ) announced that from 19 May, the changes will be extended to Auckland, Canterbury, South Canterbury, Capital Coast and Hutt Valley, Wairarapa, Bay of Plenty, Lakes (excluding Taupō), Hawke's Bay (excluding Wairoa), Tairāwhiti, and Southern (excluding Waitaki and Southern Lakes) districts. The police said they expect that a third tranche of districts will see the Phase Two changes implemented after 16 June, pending final readiness assessments. Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson said police remained committed to a system that supported mental wellbeing, and gave people access to the best help that 'works for them'. 'Outside of an emergency, police have a threshold for what mental health related work sits with police and what doesn't,' he said. 'This supports us all to clarify roles and responses, ensuring police are only involved where it's appropriate – that means where there is an offence identified (that we would attend through normal prioritisation) or where there is an immediate risk to life or safety,' he added. HNZ national director of mental health and addiction Phil Grady said workforce shortages were a long-standing issue, with many comparable countries struggling with similar challenges. He said HNZ was continuing to recruit and fill mental health vacancies. Grady said HNZ continued to work with police, the Ministry of Health, St John ambulance and Wellington Free Ambulance on the changes to how agencies respond to mental health. HNZ director of specialist mental health and addiction, Karla Bergquist, said the safety and wellbeing of patients and staff was paramount. 'We have adopted a staged approach and extended our timeframes for Phase Two, introducing it in a planned and safe way,' she said. 'As part of this planning work, we have developed new procedures with clinical input and created training materials for staff to support them through this change.' The Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said in a statement that the safety of patients and staff has been and will remain the top priority through the change process. 'This is evident by this being a phased approach with each phase only being activated when and if it is safe to do so,' he said, pointing to that the districts greenlighted for Phase Two have been assessed for their readiness. 'At the end of the day, we want what's best for those suffering from mental distress. The approach we are transitioning to moves away from those seeking support to now receive a mental health response, rather than a criminal justice response,' he said. Doocey said he's made it a priority ensure that the government grows the mental health workforce. PSA union calling for better support Meanwhile the Public Service Association (PSA) is calling on the government to take urgent action to address what it said was an acute shortage of mental health workers. The union said it had sighted a draft report to Doocey, which stated that 1485 more frontline mental health and addiction workers were needed right now, including 470 specialist nurses, 145 psychiatrists and 145 clinical psychologists. 'There is a crisis in every hospital where mental health workers are under more pressure than ever. The phased withdrawal of police support is compounding the problem,' PSA's national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said. PSA was asking the government to fill all vacancies, lift the hiring ban across the country, and reinstate police support for all mental health call outs. RNZ has asked police, Health NZ and Police Minister Mark Mitchell for comment. Recent HNZ data showed hundreds more health workers were assaulted at work last year – with Auckland central and Waikato seeing the biggest spikes. Nationally, about 14,000 assaults on staff by patients, family members and visitors, were recorded in the two-year period between January 2023 and December 2024 – amounting to a 30 percent increase over the period. Auckland central (covering Auckland City Hospital, Starship Children's Hospital and Greenlane Clinical Centre) saw the number of attacks double over the period, and accounted for 57 percent of the national increase.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Police Won't Spend More Than An Hour On Most Mental Health Cases
Shorter hand-overs to Emergency Departments (EDs), and tighter rules for people in distress in police custody will be rolled out across more health districts in a little over a week's time. The changes are part of Phase Two of the police's withdrawal from mental health events, which were announced in August last year. They were initially planned to be implemented between January and March, but have been pushed amid safety concerns. The key changes in Phase Two are: Police spending no more than 60 minutes when handing over a person detained under the Mental Health Act to EDs, unless they consider there is an immediate risk to life or safety; People in custody under the Mental Health Act need to be taken to a health facility within 30 minutes. The changes kicked in across a first tranche of health districts on 14 April - including Waitematā, Counties Manukau, Waikato (excluding Tokoroa and Taumarunui), Nelson-Marlborough, and West Coast. On Tuesday, the police and Health New Zealand (HNZ) announced that from 19 May, the changes will be extended to Auckland, Canterbury, South Canterbury, Capital Coast and Hutt Valley, Wairarapa, Bay of Plenty, Lakes (excluding Taupō), Hawke's Bay (excluding Wairoa), Tairāwhiti, and Southern (excluding Waitaki and Southern Lakes) districts. The police said they expect that a third tranche of districts will see the Phase Two changes implemented after 16 June, pending final readiness assessments. Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson said police remained committed to a system that supported mental wellbeing, and gave people access to the best help that "works for them". "Outside of an emergency, police have a threshold for what mental health related work sits with police and what doesn't," he said. "This supports us all to clarify roles and responses, ensuring police are only involved where it's appropriate - that means where there is an offence identified (that we would attend through normal prioritisation) or where there is an immediate risk to life or safety," he added. HNZ national director of mental health and addiction Phil Grady said workforce shortages were a long-standing issue, with many comparable countries struggling with similar challenges. He said HNZ was continuing to recruit and fill mental health vacancies. Grady said HNZ continued to work with police, the Ministry of Health, St John ambulance and Wellington Free Ambulance on the changes to how agencies respond to mental health. HNZ director of specialist mental health and addiction, Karla Bergquist, said the safety and wellbeing of patients and staff was paramount. "We have adopted a staged approach and extended our timeframes for Phase Two, introducing it in a planned and safe way," she said. "As part of this planning work, we have developed new procedures with clinical input and created training materials for staff to support them through this change." The Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said in a statement that the safety of patients and staff has been and will remain the top priority through the change process. "This is evident by this being a phased approach with each phase only being activated when and if it is safe to do so," he said, pointing to that the districts greenlighted for Phase Two have been assessed for their readiness. "At the end of the day, we want what's best for those suffering from mental distress. The approach we are transitioning to moves away from those seeking support to now receive a mental health response, rather than a criminal justice response," he said. Doocey said he's made it a priority ensure that the government grows the mental health workforce. PSA union calling for better support Meanwhile the Public Service Association (PSA) is calling on the government to take urgent action to address what it said was an acute shortage of mental health workers. The union said it had sighted a draft report to Doocey, which stated that 1485 more frontline mental health and addiction workers were needed right now, including 470 specialist nurses, 145 psychiatrists and 145 clinical psychologists. "There is a crisis in every hospital where mental health workers are under more pressure than ever. The phased withdrawal of police support is compounding the problem," PSA's national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said. PSA was asking the government to fill all vacancies, lift the hiring ban across the country, and reinstate police support for all mental health call outs. RNZ has asked police, Health NZ and Police Minister Mark Mitchell for comment. Recent HNZ data showed hundreds more health workers were assaulted at work last year - with Auckland central and Waikato seeing the biggest spikes. Nationally, about 14,000 assaults on staff by patients, family members and visitors, were recorded in the two-year period between January 2023 and December 2024 - amounting to a 30 percent increase over the period. Auckland central (covering Auckland City Hospital, Starship Children's Hospital and Greenlane Clinical Centre) saw the number of attacks double over the period, and accounted for 57 percent of the national increase.
