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In this edition:
- Message from Toni
- Our progress delivering on He Ara Oranga
- Developing the pathway for transformation
- ROI open for Rainbow youth support
- More youth services rolling out
- Mentemia talks emotions with changing Alert Levels
- Animated series on mental health and resilience
Kia ora whānau
No matter where you are in the country, I hope you are managing the changing nature of the COVID-19 environment ok.
It’s only natural to feel anxious or concerned with the changes to Alert Levels, so please make sure you are looking after yourselves and each other. There has been a real focus on ensuring that there are a range of mental wellbeing messages particularly targeted to supporting people in Auckland who have been in lockdown again. You can see below a video from JK and the team at Mentemia on managing emotions. Our thanks to everyone in Auckland. Your actions are protecting all of us.
Toni Gutschlag
Deputy Director-General, Mental Health and Addiction
It’s a good time to remember that there is free and confidential mental wellbeing support available for frontline health worker staff. HealthCare New Zealand can connect staff with a registered psychologist, it’s as simple as calling 0800 820 080 Monday – Friday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.
The Mental Health and Addiction Directorate has published our latest quarterly progress update, focused on the second quarter of 2020-21. We’ve also covered off some of the broader achievements, as we know there is keen interest in how the programme is rolling out.
We’ve also started the next phase of engagement which will help in developing the Long-Term Pathway for transformation of New Zealand’s approach to mental health and wellbeing. The long-term pathway will build on the actions in Kia Kaha, Kia Maia, Kia Ora Aotearoa – COVID-19 Psychosocial and Mental Wellbeing Recovery Plan, and will build on the insights we’ve gained through engagement over the last 18 months. You can read more about the Long-Term Pathway below – I look forward to hearing how we can best build this pathway for collective action.
I look forward to providing further updates on our progress over the next few weeks.
Ngā mihi,
Toni.
Our progress delivering on He Ara Oranga
At the start of the New Year we marked 18 months into a transformation programme that is delivering on the vision set out in He Ara Oranga.
The change required to create a mental health and addiction system that meets the needs of New Zealanders is significant. And we are making good progress in spite of the challenges we have all experienced over the last 12 months.
Since the Government’s response to He Ara Oranga, and commitment of $1.9 billion across a range of mental wellbeing initiatives, the Ministry of Health has taken action to address the recommendations in He Ara Oranga.
There were four initial priority areas, and we have made progress across all four:
- We’ve established a permanent Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission
- We’ve set up the Suicide Prevention Office and released a Suicide Prevention Strategy for New Zealand, with an accompanying action plan
- We’ve begun work on repealing and replacing the Mental Health Act
- We’re expanding access and choice of primary mental health and addiction services for all Kiwis.
The new and expanded services rolling out are making a difference to people’s lives – we’ve heard that GPs and their teams are more confident about asking people what’s going on in their lives and people are able to get the help they need when and where they need it.
Our progress update for quarter two 2020-21 includes key highlights across all mental health and addiction services, case studies from people who have benefitted from better access to, and choice of, services as well as insight on what’s coming up over the coming months.
In particular, it’s pleasing to be able to report that on average more than 9,000 sessions are being delivered through GP clinics every month, up from 1,300 in July 2019 when we started the programme.
By the end of January more than 82,000 sessions had been delivered and all District Health Board areas have new or expanded services rolled out.
In addition, new youth, Pacific and Kaupapa Māori services are being established across the country. The momentum is building and contracts for new services are set to be announced in the coming weeks.
Developing the long-term pathway for transformation
He Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction found that significant shifts were needed to better enable mental wellbeing outcomes for New Zealanders.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic we had started work to develop what we call the “long-term pathway” that would set the direction for the transformation of mental health and addiction over the next ten years.
In 2020 we needed to focus our attention on how to support the mental health and wellbeing of New Zealanders as we responded to COVID-19 – we developed Kia Kaha, Kia Maia, Kia Ora Aotearoa – COVID-19 Psychosocial and Mental Wellbeing Recovery Plan (Kia Kaha).
Kia Kaha sets out the plan and actions for supporting the mental wellbeing of New Zealanders over 12-18 months – we thank everyone who provided input into Kia Kaha throughout 2020.
We are taking Kia Kaha forward and building on the foundation it provides as we look towards the longer-term pathway for transformation. We’re not starting from scratch, we’ve learnt a lot through various engagements over the last 18 months.
The Long-Term Pathway will outline the high-level direction to support and enable the transformation of our approach to mental health and addiction over the next ten years. It will not be definitive or prescriptive – we need to be flexible and adapt to changes in the health and social sectors over time.
New Zealand’s health sector is complex and multi-faceted – achieving the change envisioned in He Ara Oranga takes time, and it takes all of us playing a role. The Long-Term Pathway is the next step in our collective response to achieving that vision.
Over the next few weeks we need to hear from you as we develop this plan for collective action. Please take the time to visit the Ministry of Health’s consultation hub for further information, and to share your feedback.
Last night we held our first information session, keep an eye on our website for a recording. Our second information session will be held Thursday 11th March at 5.30pm. Anyone with an interest in the development of the Long-Term Pathway can join the session via this link.
Mentemia talks emotions with changing Alert Levels
Every change in Alert Levels raises new emotions. Sir John Kirwan gives health psychology specialist Dr Fiona Crichton a call to talk about how he's been feeling following the latest lockdown in Auckland.
"Anger is a really normal reaction, so don't beat yourself up about it, because sometimes I think we're a little bit frightened about anger, but actually it's a normal reaction, so long as we deal with it well," Dr Fiona Crichton says.
"I think it's understandable in a situation that we're in, where we thought we had it under control, and then we heard some news that this was kind of avoidable."
ROI open for Rainbow youth support
The Ministry has opened a Registration of Interest for organisations interested in providing mental wellbeing support for young Rainbow New Zealanders. This process is the first step in the $3.2 million funding package to expand Rainbow mental wellbeing services announced last month.
Organisations are first asked to register interest, before the procurement proceeds to a closed tender process for funding.
Service providers will need to meet criteria to move through the procurement process, which is aimed at developing new services, or expanding existing services, that provide primary-level mental health and addiction support for young Rainbow New Zealanders. A key part of this will be ensuring services are responsive to the needs of Māori and Pacific.
The $3.2 million investment for Rainbow youth mental wellbeing is in addition to $800,000 to top up the existing Rainbow Wellbeing Legacy Fund which was established as an acknowledgement of those New Zealanders who were convicted for homosexual acts before the law was changed in 1986.
As part of these Rainbow mental wellbeing initiatives, the Ministry of Health has allocated an additional $600,000 of funding over four years to support the mental health and addiction workforce to be responsive to the needs of Rainbow communities, with a focus on young people.
A skilled and competent workforce equipped to support diverse communities is critical for safe and inclusive mental health and addiction services. The Ministry is seeking credible providers who have the capability, experience and infrastructure to develop and deliver Rainbow competency training for the New Zealand mental health and addiction workforce.
GETS - Registration of Interest for Rainbow youth services
GETS - Rainbow competency training for mental health and addiction workforce
More youth services rolling out
Caption: Health Minister Andrew Little announces $10m funding for youth services
Youth mental health and wellbeing services are being ramped up across New Zealand as part of new contracts announced last month.
The contracts, worth $10 million over four years, will see enhanced support for youth in Bay of Plenty, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Kāpiti Coast, Hutt Valley and Canterbury.
The contracts are the second round of youth-focused agreements finalised under the Access and Choice work programme funded through Budget 19. The five-year plan aims to see New Zealanders getting the support they need, when and where they need it. It has a specific focus on improving support for youth, Māori and Pacific Peoples.
The funding was announced in Christchurch by Health Minister Andrew Little at Odyssey House, which is part of a collaborative delivering one of the funded services, Whakatau Aratiki Rangatahi.
Clinical Director of the Odyssey House Trust, Nigel Loughton, and Chief Executive Officer of Te Kaiwhakahaere, Karaitiana Tickell said the funding enabled rangatahi to experience flexible, responsive services that have been designed to support wellbeing in places where rangatahi live, work and play.
“This opportunity celebrates collaboration and co-design and looks to strengthen the bonds in health service provision.”
The newly funded services build on contracts announced in September for youth services in Rotorua and Taupō, Wairarapa, South Canterbury, Dunedin and Southland.
Animated series on mental health and resilience
A new docuseries is taking an innovative approach to sharing insights about mental health and resilience by using animation to explain people’s experiences.
Fight or Flight was part-funded by Like Minds, Like Mine and features personal stories in a light-hearted and entertaining way focused on de-stigmatising, and increasing understanding around, young people’s experiences with anxiety and depression.
Hear director Michelle Cameron speak about Fight or Flight on RNZ’s Lately
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