Nine out of 10 workers say change will increase risks to them and clients
Two out of three workers not confident workplace can manage risks
Nine out of 10 workers say change will add to already heavy workloads
Mental health workers fear serious harm to themselves, their clients and members of the public from the withdrawal of police support for mental health call outs, a PSA survey shows.
The phased withdrawal of police from responding to mental health callouts begins today. This includes police staying in EDs for a maximum of 60 minutes, falling to 15 minutes.
"Mental health workers are saying loud and clear the implementation of the change is profoundly unsafe and that the risks of serious harm to them, the people in their care and the public are very high," said Ashok Shankar, Health Lead for Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
"We are calling on Te Whatu Ora and the police to delay this change until we can be reassured it can be done safely. Our members are at the frontline of this change, they know the risks, so it's extremely disappointing that their views to date have been ignored.
"It's high time both the Health and Mental Health Ministers step in before real harm is caused.
"Te Whatu Ora is failing to properly plan for the transition to the new regime despite months of consultation. Our members are not getting the extra training they deserve to adjust to the change.
"One highly experienced mental health worker, who leads a team, said he only received a raft of documents explaining changes to operating procedures 10 days out from the 4 November start date.
'These changes are going to add to the burden of what we endure now', he said. He warned Te Whatu Ora that 'patients, the public and staff will be injured, maimed and no doubt die in response to these changes and the poor planning and resourcing that goes with it'.
Ashok Shankar said: "Mental health crisis teams are already under extreme stress - workloads are as heavy as they have ever been, yet the Government is allowing even more pressure to pile on overstretched teams.
"Te Whatu Ora needs to expand mental health teams and provide additional training, if required, so they can safely pick up the burden of taking over from the police.
"But the hiring freeze and the Government's failure to properly fund Te Whatu Ora is making a dire situation that much worse.
"The survey shows members expect time taken to see people in distress will increase. It will mean those with less urgent needs will wait even longer as more urgent cases are prioritised. Their health outcomes are being put at risk. That's just not acceptable when we already have a mental health crisis in this country.
"Mental health should be a priority - all of us want the best outcome for the people and their families facing challenges, but this process of police handover feels botched from the get-go - patients and workers may pay a heavy price," said Ashok Shankar.
