Wrong call on mental health

There would be few quibbles with the contention that police are not the ideal responders to mental health distress.

There are some subjects political rivals should be above using for point-scoring with potential voters, firstly because the focus should be on those affected and, secondly, because the appropriate way to handle them should not be a political issue.

In 2018, the historically inadequately understood area of mental health must be one of those subjects. The 2016-17 New Zealand Health Survey found one in six adult New Zealanders had been ‘‘diagnosed with a common mental disorder at some time in their lives’’.

Thanks in part to the willingness of some celebrities to be open about their experiences of illnesses like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder, the stigma around this area of health has been lifted to a degree.

Ongoing concerns about inadequate resourcing of mental health services saw both major parties commit to significant spending ahead of last September’s general election. So, question marks about their pre-election motivation aside, it should be possible for them to avoid excessive politicking around an issue that affects New Zealanders across the board.

A report at the weekend about funding being axed for a mental health pilot scheme proposed by the previous government has sparked some crossparty sniping, but it’s to be hoped the focus quickly shifts back to those in need and how best to address that need as quickly as possible. Because spiking mental health demand has not only been tying up police resources, taking officers away from the policing of crime, but has also raised concerns about how the police are not the most appropriate responders to cases of mental distress.

A report in February showed a 77 per cent increase in non-suicide mental health 111 calls from 2009 to 2016. There would be few quibbles with the contention that police are not the ideal responders to mental health distress. In some cases, it’s clear that having police arrive when a person has requested mental health support has worsened that distress.

The previous government’s proposed $8 million co-response service, which would have seen a mental health worker attending all crisis calls, was part of a $100m mental health package it announced last year and was due to be trialled in Auckland, Christchurch, Palmerston North and Horowhenua over three years from September.

It has now emerged that under Health Minister David Clark, it is not going ahead. National’s police spokeman, Chris Bishop, has labelled that decision ‘‘disgraceful’’, with Clark countering that the previous government had ‘‘never fully developed’’ the idea.

In January, the Labour-led Government announced a mental health review. It is due to report in October, but the smart money says it will take several months for any recommendations to become action.

So why, especially since Clark has admitted he recognises the ‘‘merit in improving the response to 11 mental health callouts’’, should the pilot programme not start in September as originally planned, overlapping with the closing stages of the inquiry? Even if it is not ultimately fully implemented, it should provide valuable data that can be factored into any new programmes adopted as a result of the inquiry.