Budget NZ 2019: $1.9 billion won't fix NZ's mental health crisis, psychologist says

The Government's Wellbeing Budget is addressing New Zealand's growing mental health crisis with a $1.9 billion boost, but psychology professionals think the whole sector needs to be reshaped.

The Government has promised to set up a new universal frontline mental health service, expected to help 325,000 people with mild to moderate mental health needs by 2024. That will see trained mental health providers placed into doctors' clinics, iwi health providers and other health services.

Dr Dougal Sutherland, a clinical psychologist from Victoria University of Wellington, had one question following the announcement of the Budget's new universal frontline mental health service: "who will staff this service?"

He believes the Government needs to "think about how to fundamentally reshape the delivery of mental health services" in New Zealand.

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Based on current estimates, around 200,000 people are seen by psychologists while another 200,000 regularly see counsellors and social workers, he said.

In order to meet the Government's newly announced target, "this workforce would need to be doubled" by the target year.

The chronic skills shortage in the sector and the need to train more qualified mental health workers and build new facilities were addressed in the Budget, but Sutherland believes the Government should have focused on providing additional funds to solve these issues.

Referencing the Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry, which recommended an increase in talking therapies, Sutherland said the "Ministry of Education funding rates for clinical psychology training are so low that courses typically run at a loss".

Clinical psychology training - currently priced at $12,243 - receives 72 per cent less funding than medicine, 54 per cent less than dentistry, 24 per cent less than dietetics, and 10 per cent less than acupuncture and osteopathy.

"The Government cannot claim to take the Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry's recommendations seriously, nor is it likely to achieve its ambitious [2024] goal, without stumping up the cash for training."

The Budget includes a further $200m to be pumped into existing mental health facilities, and $40m over four years for suicide prevention services.

Despite all of these additional funds, Sutherland believes the services won't reach all who need it.

He believes a number of "innovative initiatives", such as e-therapies, will need to be implemented across the country.

The Government announced on Wednesday it would not be introducing a suicide reduction target.

Under mental health initiatives in the Budget, the Government also announced it would be investing an extra $197m in the successful Housing First initiative to address homelessness.