Mental health issues public sector priority
Managing risks and hazards has long been at the fore of workplace health and safety but it’s hoped a new government agency-led initiative will bring mental health into the spotlight.
Representatives from 71 government agencies packed into Te Papa yesterday for the inaugural Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference, organised by Governmenthealth and safety lead Ray Smith, who is also chief executive at the Department of Corrections.
Smith said the appetite for new and robust mental health services was growing exponentially and the time ripe for the public sector to go all in. ‘‘There was a bit of a sense that we were lagging behind the private sector . . . so we felt like we needed to pick our act up.’’
Smith said many of the topics discussed during the day-long conference hit home, with the death of broadcaster Grey Boyed still on the minds of many New Zealanders.
‘‘It makes it real for people because they think about their own families, their own workplaces and people they know,’’ he said. ‘‘This wellbeing issue is not so easy to see and I think that’s why we’re shocked when someone takes their life. We didn’t see it – there was no physical manifestation.’’
Twelve months of work by Smith and his team had resulted in two new guides focused on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, designed for use in all public sector agencies.
‘‘We need to open the dialogue but we can’t just open it without having supports ... you need to be able to know how to manage those conversations when people are potentially unwell.’’
Helping fuel and inspire the cause at the conference was a raft of guest speakers, including Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson and Mary Deacon, the chair of Canadian company Bell’s ‘‘Let’s Talk’’ campaign.
In 2015, Bell, Canada’s largest telecommunications company, committed $100 million to support new mental health research, workplace best practices, improved care and access, and anti-stigma programmes.
Deacon, who has long spearheaded mental health initiatives, said she was more than happy to share her expertise and thoughts on what New Zealand’s public sector could learn from Canada.
‘‘I think it speaks really well for New Zealand that there’s an interest and desire to take action and be proactive.
‘‘I hope the experience we’ve had gives people the idea that you have to walk before you run.’’
While the conference was just one day, Smith said the conversation was far from over, with New Zealand public sector agencies set to use the new resources during October’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
‘‘I think we can be a bit worried about leading the conversation, about hurting someone’s feelings but we can do a lot better, particularly in the public sector. We can save lives.’’
‘‘This wellbeing issue is not so easy to see and I think that’s why we’re shocked when someone takes their life.’’ Government health and safety lead Ray Smith