Election 2017 - Party Policies - Health - Mental Health Services
27th May 17, 9:41am
by
Mental Health Services
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- Raise awareness of mental health services. This is the best way to ensure people who need it, get it. This will reduce suicide rates.
- Read more here.
- Encourage mental health providers to work within multi-disciplinary teams that hold the well-being of the client at the heart of their practice. Wherever possible, clients have a primary provider who remains with them through their recovery process.
- Utilise client-assessed outcome measurement tools to compare service effectiveness.
- Fund innovative initiatives that indicate high recovery rates with low/minimal drug use
- Introduce free counselling for under 25s, and work towards extending this to all adults; and increasing funding for youth mental health services.
- Immediate reinstatement of an independent Mental Health Commission, empowered to act as an advocate for the interests of people with mental illness and their families, to monitor mental health systems, and facilitate integrated, effective, and efficient methods of providing care.
- Read more here, here, and here.
- Establish a two-year pilot programme of primary mental health teams at eight sites across the country to work with GPs, PHOs, DHBs, and mental health NGOs.
- This will be an investment of $43m over two years, funded through Labour’s commitment to reversing National’s $1.7b of health cuts.
- Mental health teams will be based on site with primary care providers, such as GPs, to offer free, accessible help for people with mental health issues before and after crises.
- Each mental health team will comprise mental health service co-ordinators, who will be doctors or other medical professionals, to help people navigate the system and integrate the care from GPs, PHOs, NGOs, and DHBs, creating a sustained programme of care for each individual.
- The programme will provide funding for NGOs to provide social assistance such as getting a job or finding somewhere to live.
- Read more here.
- Resource whānau to be equipped to work together and develop their own solutions to suicide in both prevention, post-vention and health promotion approaches (Waka Hourua Māori and Pasifika suicide prevention).
- Resource and implement the Turamarama Declaration.
- Expand Oranga Rangatahi – the Rangatahi Suicide Prevention Strategy.
- Lower the threshold to access appropriate support for individuals experiencing distress.
- Appoint mental health youth workers in schools.
- Read more here and here.
- $100m social investment mental health package of 17 new initiatives.
- Begin reorienting our approach to mental health towards a focus on prevention, early intervention and resilience-building (focused particularly on school-aged children and young people).
- Provide a more effective range of responses to meet the needs of people in crisis (or at risk of a crisis situation), as well as upskilling the mental health workforce.
- Expand distance and e-therapy options, which will enable provision of support earlier, in a more accessible manner.
- Extend the coverage of supports for people experiencing mild to moderate mental disorders.
- Read more here.
- Increase mental health service options and treatment bed numbers especially around child and youth mental health services.
- Re-establish the Mental Health Commission to fund, control and direct mental health services.
- Commit to a suicide reduction target.
- Read more here.
- Increase the number of community based metal health workers.
- Increase resources for mental health professionals.
- Ensure support is available for community support groups for the voluntary and community-based services they provide for young people including suicide support services and supervision.
- Fund research to address mental health issues, especially those that affect our youth.
- Ensure professionals are trained to understand and deal with new technologies.
- Read more here.
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