Bradford Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Bradford Sue: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:610;Page:7305] 
11.  
SUE BRADFORD (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: What concerns if any does she have about plans by the Canterbury District Health Board to contract out the entirety of its residential rehabilitation services for mentally ill people? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Health) 
: 
 My concern would be if there were any reduction in service or quality. The Canterbury District Health Board advises me that that is not the case. Residential rehabilitation is generally provided by non-governmental organisations and other community providers throughout New Zealand so this is not a new concept. 
Sue Bradford 
: Why is the Minister allowing the Canterbury District Health Board to repeat the same mistakes that have produced such disastrous results in the Waitemata District Health Board area; and has she alerted Canterbury police to prepare cells for mental health patients in anticipation of the changes? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: In answer to the last part of the question—no because the majority of patients who require residential rehabilitation care in Canterbury are already living within the community and we have not seen them requiring police cells. This is a minority of people who have been left within the hospital structures and who are being moved to non-governmental organisation provision within the community. It is a change that has already happened in most parts of New Zealand and as I said the majority of Canterbury people are already in the community. 
Steve Chadwick 
: Does the Canterbury District Health Board currently fund non-governmental organisations to provide residential rehabilitation services? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Yes the bulk of these services are already provided by the non-governmental organisation sector. The decision to change the way the service is provided was made after extensive consultation with the patients and their families caregivers staff and unions. 
Judith Collins 
: What work has the Ministry of Health done in response to the ring-fence protection project which showed that mental health service delivery by the Canterbury District Health Board was short by 19 percent; and when will the people of Canterbury get the level of mental health services they need? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The South Island and Canterbury in particular has a much higher level of access to mental health services than does the area that the member herself lives in—the Auckland and Midland district. I am pleased to say that this Government brought in the ring fence of mental health money a year ago. We reviewed that found some weaknesses in the ring fence and rectified them. 
Heather Roy 
: Will the Minister be encouraging more contracting out of services in line with the growing number of enlightened Governments all around the world so that patients are provided with the best quality treatment at the best price? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I agree with the member that best-quality provision particularly in residential rehabilitation is what we are trying to achieve in New Zealand. What has happened has been very successful. District health boards are looking to provide the best service to meet the patients’ and their families’ needs. 
Sue Bradford 
: Is the Minister aware that such consultation as there was about this process was very late very last-minute and totally inadequate from the point of view of the mental health workforce involved and of the patients and that it is believed that the tangata whaiora involved are not aware that it will mean their moving into small flats instead of the group residences in which they have been housed up until now? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: The initial consultation was inadequate but it led to the National Union of Public Employees and the Canterbury District Health Board putting together a joint implementation team to ensure that transition arrangements would be put in place for patients moving into the community. That is now happening and includes monitoring arrangements. 
Sue Bradford 
: Does the Minister believe that the Canterbury District Health Board has got its priorities right when it is cutting its mental health services to save $500000 while at the same time over the last two financial years every single one of its 96 managers has received bonuses totalling $1.9 million? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: Mental health services in Canterbury are not being cut. The payment of bonuses is not something that I am prepared to support. However I am told by the board that these are not bonus payments but money that was withheld from salary and paid only on performance.