Source: PSA
A decision by Police to pause the fourth stage of their withdrawal from mental health support is a welcome but damning admission that this reckless programme has failed workers and patients from the start.
This final fourth phase of the Mental Health Change Programme would have seen Police only required to wait with people in distress at emergency departments for 15 minutes and removed their obligation to do welfare checks when there is no risk of criminality, life, or safety.
“It should never have come to this. We warned Police, Health NZ, and the Government repeatedly that withdrawing support would put workers and patients in danger. They ignored those warnings and people got hurt,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Public Service Association.
“A PSA survey found 91 per cent of mental health workers said these changes would increase safety risks. The workers were right. The Government, Police, and Health NZ are now admitting they got it wrong.
“The pause is driven by the fact that there is no good data on how long Police officers wait with people in distress, that’s simply not good enough. A lack of data tells you everything about how irresponsible this programme has been from day one. Every mental health worker needs and deserves Police support when they seek it.
“Mental health workers are already stretched to breaking point and it’s completely unrealistic to expect them to manage dangerous situations alone. “We’ve already seen what happens. Last year a mental health worker in Auckland rang Police three times in 90 minutes and no help ever arrived. That’s why we complained to the Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA) last November.
“The response from the IPCA was very telling, they admitted they would not investigate Police withdrawal from mental health as they did not have the resources to do so.
“A pause is not enough. The whole programme must be shelved, Police support reinstated, and Health NZ must step up and properly resource and protect its mental health workforce.
“Every mental health worker should be safe at work and be able to get support from the Police when they deem it necessary.”
Previous PSA statements:
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.