Te Whatu Ora Bay of Plenty spent $65.7m on mental health services in 10 months. Photo / 123rf
Te Whatu Ora Bay of Plenty spent $65.7m on mental health services in 10 months. Photo / 123rf
Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty spent $65.7 million on mental health services n the first 10 months of 2022, but a mental health expert says a “massive gap” still exists between the services available and the needs of the community.
According to information provided by the district to the Bay of Plenty Times under the Official Information Act, the highest costs were incurred by community services for adults, drug dependency services and salaries for secondary services.
In the financial year ended June 2021, the district spent $77.279m on mental health services. The spending from the previous financial year was $71.828m.
Of $65.7 million spent in the year to October, $33.9m was spent on salaries and wages for secondary services, while $1.76m was spent on facilities and infrastructure.
However, Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson said there was “a massive gap” between the scale of the demand for mental health support and the response being provided.
“I haven’t seen an approach that recognises the scale of the issue,” Robinson said.
“There are so many people in need and it is difficult to have an impact on that.”
Robinson described the Government’s approach to mental health service provision as “all very piecemeal”, “haphazard”, and lacking co-ordination.
“The Government needs to take responsibility for fulfilling promises,” Robinson said.
“But all parties need to lift their game. Mental health is going to be an election issue in 2023.”
While Robinson acknowledged there were many services that were “working” to get better mental health outcomes for people in New Zealand, he said these services “did not have much to do with the Government”.
Te Whatu Ora Bay of Plenty governance and quality senior adviser Debbie Brown said the aspects of community mental health services with the highest financial costs in order were drug dependency, child and youth, community residential beds and services and home-based support.
“The highest spend within the provider arm services within Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty is on salaries and wages,” Brown told the Bay of Plenty Times.
In the table Brown provided, adult mental health services are quoted as costing $10.1m while “secondary services” cost the district $39.4m between January 1 and October 31.
Te Whatu Ora Bay of Plenty chief operating officer Bronwyn Anstis said secondary services included acute adult inpatient mental health units in Whakatāne and Tauranga as well as addiction services, mental health services for older people and outpatient community services.
“Demand has fluctuated significantly across the Bay of Plenty and nationally in different parts of the [mental health] system and across the year,” Anstis said.
“There may be multiple drivers for this with anecdotal feedback suggesting these fluctuations are related to changes in population, the psychological impact of Covid-19, financial pressures as well as changes in the general psychosocial environment.
“In some cases, this may also be related to workforce availability.”
Te Whare Maiangiangi - Tauranga Hospital's Mental Health Unit. Photo / George Novak
Anstis said Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand was focused on ensuring people have help that works for them, when and where they need it.
“This includes helping people to receive support earlier and preventing people from reaching a point where they need specialist support.
“We have a broad programme of work underway to help address pressures on mental health and addiction services.”
Anstis said major milestones achieved in 2022 included the launch of Te Ahi Mauri, a new service for people experiencing harm from methamphetamine in Murupara and surrounding areas.
“[We’ve also rolled out] integrated primary mental health and addiction services to 29 practices across the Bay of Plenty, including Tauranga and Whakatāne.”
Anstis said in 2023 the district would focus on developing more flexible and mobile services, implementing child mental wellbeing support service Mana Ake and streamlining referral processes for people seeking support.
“It’s important to note that change on this scale takes time but there are already new and enhanced services in every area of New Zealand,” Anstis said.
“We know that this investment is helping thousands of New Zealanders every month.”
Anstis said the district would also continue to roll out services to address methamphetamine harm in the new year.
Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson. Photo / Supplied
University of Otago Department of Public Health senior research fellow Dr Ruth Cunningham. Photo / Supplied
University of Otago Department of Public Health senior research fellow Dr Ruth Cunningham said despite increased investment in supports, access to specialist services has remained stagnant for the past five years.
“There is no doubt the system and its services are under considerable pressure, and many have questioned whether more of the same is going fix it.”
In a series of blog posts focused on finding public health solutions, Cunningham has written about how mental health services alone won’t solve the mental health crisis.
Cunningham said while mental health and addiction services needed to improve and transform, providing more services did not lessen population levels of mental health need or psychological distress.
“While mental health need is continuing to rise in New Zealand as it is elsewhere, simple policy interventions could reduce this need by both preventing mental ill health and by promoting the mental health of people who are already experiencing mental illness.”
Increasing benefit levels, increasing physical activity, drug and alcohol legislation reform and employment support for those with mental illness were four interventions Cunningham suggested.
For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts on its website.
