Articles tagged with Health Nz

Government Launches First Crisis Recovery Café in Whanganui to Support Mental Health

3 weeks ago | 154 views

The Mental Health Minister opened Whanganui’s new Crisis Recovery Café at Aunty’s Café, the first of six cafés being rolled out by the Government nationwide. These cafés, led by Balance Aotearoa and iwi providers, offer peer-led, non-clinical support for individuals facing mental health or addiction challenges in a community setting. The Government aims to reduce pressure on traditional crisis systems by providing faster access to support, increasing frontline workers, and enhancing crisis response through initiatives like crisis cafés and peer support specialist roles in emergency departments.

Tags: Matt Doocey Mental Health Minister Crisis Recovery Café Balance Aotearoa Te Oranganui Hāpai Mauri Tangata peer support specialist mental health plan Health NZ frontline workers

New Zealand Approves Psychology Assistant Role to Boost Mental Health Support

1 month ago | 260 views

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey welcomes the New Zealand Psychologists Board's approval of the Psychology Assistant role to enhance access to mental health and addiction support. The initiative aims to address workforce shortages by providing a career path for psychology graduates unable to enter clinical psychology programs. Psychology Assistants will work under supervision to expand support services, reduce vacancies, and improve mental health outcomes for New Zealanders.

Tags: Matt Doocey New Zealand Psychologists Board Psychology Assistant mental health addiction support workforce shortages clinical psychology programme mental health system mental health workforce Health NZ.

New Mental Health Accreditation Pathway Opens Doors for 330 Counsellors in NZ Public Services

2 months ago | 695 views

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announces the removal of a workforce barrier for over 330 experienced counsellors in publicly funded mental health services through a revised accreditation process with Health New Zealand and NZAC. The strengthened accreditation pathway aims to address workforce shortages and increase timely mental health support for New Zealanders. The initiative is part of broader efforts to reduce vacancies, utilize underutilized workforces, and improve access to mental health services.

Tags: Matt Doocey Health New Zealand New Zealand Association of Counsellors workforce barriers mental health support workforce shortages Health NZ counselling primary mental health workforce peer support specialists

New Zealand's Mental Health Workforce Growth: Ensuring Support When It's Needed

2 months ago | 931 views

When someone is making the brave step of reaching out for help whether it’s you, your child, a friend or family member, this Government is committed to ensuring we have the right support in place to answer that call, Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey says. “It is promising to see reports showing New Zealand’s mental health and addiction workforce is growing. This will help us ensure that people are getting the support they need, when they need it and no one’s call is going unanswered,” Mr Doocey says.

Tags: Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey New Zealand Mental Health Addiction Health Workforce Health NZ Psychiatry Health New Zealand Te Pou

Data shows mental health access improving

3 months ago | 548 views

Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey has welcomed the latest quarterly results for the Government’s mental health and addiction targets, saying the access targets reflect real progress in delivering faster, more accessible support to New Zealanders. "I'm pleased to see that at a national level, 84. 3 per cent of people are accessing primary mental health and addiction services within one week, well above the 80 per cent target and well above the quarter one result of 80.

Tags: Health nz Matt doocey Mental health New zealand Zealand