Scott Lynda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Scott Lynda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:611;Page:8532] 
9.  
Dr LYNDA SCOTT (NZ National—Kaikoura) 
 to the  
Minister of Health 
: Why are mental health services in the Auckland region described as a “time bomb” by staff and why have the number of beds at Waitemata District Health Board’s acute unit Taharoto been reduced from 41 to 35? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Acting Minister of Health) 
: 
 The so-called time bomb went off years ago with Waitemata. We have been faced with putting the pieces back together again and we are doing that. Bed numbers have not been reduced from 41 to 35 at the Taharoto Mental Health Unit. Three beds have been temporarily closed. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Along with the temporary closure of beds how many of the 20 extra nurses and therapists the Minister of Health promised in June have been recruited and why have the big solutions to the big problems in Auckland’s mental health services that she promised in December last year not been delivered? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Following the review last year there has been a workforce development plan. All the district health boards in the Auckland area are working together to deliver mental health services. Instead of the competitive environment of the previous Government this Government is ensuring that all district health boards work together to provide mental health services to people in Auckland regardless of where they live when and where they need those services. 
Steve Chadwick 
: What has happened in Waitemata since the review of the Auckland mental health services? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Firstly two non-governmental organisations have been contracted to deliver packages of care within acute units. Secondly an additional five short-term packages of care have been funded to respond to the demand on acute services. Thirdly five respite beds have been purchased. The funding was specifically to address the problem of unwell clients being held in police cells. Fourthly for the medium term a non-governmental organisation has been contracted to provide six intensive support rehabilitation beds. Fifthly agreement has been reached to expand the number of forensic inpatient beds with a total of 22 new beds coming to the region. 
Heather Roy 
: What medico-legal protection will she offer mental health workers with patients who need to be in hospital but are not because she has failed to provide a safe environment for them or will those health professionals be hung out to dry just like all the others when tragedy next strikes? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: We do acknowledge the pressure on mental health workers not just in New Zealand but throughout the world. The very reason for the temporary closure of beds is to ensure that staff can adequately carry out the level of care that they want to provide for those mental health patients. 
Sue Bradford 
: As the Minister says that this crisis has been going for a long time and there has been the Auckland review detailed workforce planning and the range of measures the Minister has just been talking about why is the crisis in the Waitemata District Health Board getting worse rather than better; why are the staff continuing to take the extraordinary step of going to the media to say: “Look this is real this is happening now we need help now.”; and what is the Government doing about that? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I will try to answer a couple of those points. We accept that there is extra pressure in Waitemata. There is some restructuring occurring. We understand that three to four managerial positions are likely to go through voluntary redundancy. That will mean there are more clinical staff on the ground to carry out the services that are needed. 
Dr Lynda Scott 
: Why would nurses and doctors want to work in the failing mental health system which is stressed to the limit under-resourced and has sick patients discharged too early to make way for even sicker ones; and when will the Minister of Health deliver more acute mental health beds for Auckland as she has repeatedly promised especially in light of the fact that hospital beds are even more scarce since police refuse to hold mentally ill patients in their cells? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: There are more mental health services in the Auckland region. We are delivering those on a regional basis so that there is not competition between the health entities as occurred under the previous Government. We have new child and youth services and new family service positions being established as well. This Government is quite proud of its record in mental health. The funding has gone from $594 million in 1998-99 to over $860 million in the last year under this Government.