Act would establish mental health and addiction agency

WELLINGTON: Act New Zealand wants to take mental health funding away from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and district health boards and instead channel it to patients and providers through a mental health and addiction commission.

Act released its election policy for mental health yesterday.

It wants to upgrade the Government’s preexisting Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, by giving it $2 billion of funding currently spent by district health boards and the MOH.

The party’s deputy leader and health spokesperson, Brooke van Velden, said the current system was a disorderly mix of funding arrangements, with providers struggling to deliver a coordinated response.

‘‘Drug and alcohol abuse can destroy families and lives, and yet treatment is difficult to access and the choice of treatments don’t work for everyone.

‘‘We need a new approach to addiction and mental health in this country; it’s clear the status quo just isn’t working,’’ she said.

Ms Van Velden said the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission lacked real power to improve choice or establish a clear, nationwide approach to mental health and addiction.

Under Act’s policy, the commission would be renamed Mental Health and Addiction New Zealand and would not be a provider of services, but rather a worldclass commissioning agency that assesses individual needs and contracts the best providers for a person’s care.

‘‘Any provider that meets strict criteria would be able to register with MHANZ to provide treatment and care. Funding for services would be determined by and attached to the care of individuals and their needs,’’ Ms van Velden said.

‘‘MHANZ would carefully monitor providers to ensure New Zealanders are receiving high quality care.’’

She said patients would be able to choose any registered provider for their care, or be referred to a specific provider if unable to choose themselves. — RNZ