As psychiatrists, we see the crisis simmering in our mental health system firsthand.
Every night we are on call, we have to make tough decisions about who to admit to an inpatient unit, knowing there are limited beds available.
Our rosters are constantly short, forcing us to pick up extra shifts or arrange cross cover.
It is impossible to provide the care we are trained to offer and that tāngata whaiora deserve.
It is great that we now have a Minister for Mental Health and that primary care services for meeting the needs of people with mild to moderate mental health issues are better developed.
However, as recently highlighted by both the Auditor-general and Te Hiringa Mahara, current specialist mental health service provision is not meeting the needs of the 260,000 New Zealanders experiencing moderate to severe mental illness and addiction issues.
New Zealand has a critical and chronic shortage of psychiatrists.
In fact, we have one of the lowest numbers of psychiatrists per capita in the OECD.
The shortage of psychiatrists means waiting lists are extending to more than a year in private practice.
Meanwhile, in a public system overwhelmed with patients needing help, one in five psychiatrist positions is vacant.
Matt Doocey, the first Minister for Mental Health in New Zealand, has acknowledged the distress New Zealanders are facing.
So much so, that the government promised us to fund additional 13 psychiatry registrar positions.
This was a modest but important start towards fixing the workforce shortages that are impeding the ability of our mental health system to help people.
But this small investment, one that can significantly improve the availability of care in New Zealand, has been pushed to the end of the government’s to-do list.
Delaying investment in our specialist mental health workforce means more people will continue to miss out on care and fall through the cracks. More trainees are essential.
They deliver frontline care under supervision and form the backbone of our future mental health system.
Timely care can prevent mental health conditions from becoming worse and harder to treat, and more registrars can be key to providing early intervention and prevention by filling the gaps.
We wouldn’t wait for someone’s cancer to reach its final stage before providing treatment.
We would not discharge them right away and provide no follow-up care.
Yet, this is often the reality for mental health patients who struggle to get a continuum of life-saving care in our current health system.
Investing in these positions right away also makes economic sense.
Mental health and addiction issues cost us $12billion every year.
Untreated mental illnesses lead to strained emergency departments, and eventually higher costs in healthcare, lost productivity and social problems like homelessness and crime.
Workforce shortages also set us back on the government’s own targets to reduce stay times in emergency departments and wait times for first specialist assessments.
What we are asking for in comparison to train more psychiatrists is a small drop in the ocean.
But it can make a big difference.
If we don’t invest now, we will face a bigger crisis down the line.
The demand for mental health services is only bound to increase, and we need a pipeline of well qualified and trained professionals ready to meet this demand.
Attracting, training and retaining psychiatrists and mental health workers is incredibly crucial at this juncture.
Health Minister Shane Reti is set to deliver his first health policy statement at the end of this month.
By including a clear plan on how and when the promised positions will be funded, the government can take an important step forward in creating a mental health system that is designed and resourced to care for people with mental illness, and families and whānau caring after them.
The additional training places for mental health workers is not just a political promise, it is a necessary investment in the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.
Without immediate action, we risk failing those who need our help the most.
■Dr Hiran Thabrew is chairman of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists New Zealand committee.
