"I think some of our mental health facilities are appalling but we also have some reasonably OK facilities," Ms Casey said.
"However, what makes the real difference is how we are as mental health nurses and health professionals — which can make a significant difference to people’s experiences.
"Some of those environments are awful, but you could have great environments and poor care, whereas we’ve got good care, good health professionals, but it’s not supported by great physical environments."
Several wards at Wakari, where Ms Casey has worked as director of mental health, addictions and intellectual disability nursing, have been condemned in reports and inspections as unfit for treating patients effectively and potentially unsafe for staff.
Ms Casey acknowledged that health building projects did take time, but lamented that it had taken so long for southern mental health facilities to be addressed.
Ms Casey has been a registered nurse for more than 30 years, and filled leadership roles in the southern health system for the past 20 years.
An Otago Polytechnic distinguished alumni award winner, in 2019 Ms Casey was also recognised for "exceptional contribution to mental health services in New Zealand" at the Mental Health Awards of Australia and New Zealand.
Ms Casey has been active in the College of Mental Health Nurses as a fellow — a role she will continue in — and has also held a part time secondment with the Health Quality and Safety
She chaired the inaugural southern Nurse Practitioner Steering Group and helped several nurses to step up to that new role.
"There certainly is not the glamour of certain other sectors of nursing, for example ED; but I think because of the enhanced knowledge of mental health and mental illness, there is also greater awareness around what it means to be a mental health nurse.
"The Ministry of Health has done a lot work as well around getting people into mental health and addictions nursing early in their careers.
"I think the more we talk about the difference that we can make as nurses, the better things will be, because you have huge satisfaction being a nurse.
"You see people come in who are in terrible distress and through working with them and using the knowledge and skills that you bring you can make a real difference to people’s experiences and outcomes."
Ms Casey said she had been planning her retirement for 18 months.
"I have got lots of things I plan to do. It has been a pretty busy 30 years and it has just got busier and busier so it will be nice to slow down a little bit — not totally — and smell the roses, because working in health is relentless and hard."
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