– 511 nurses needed

A Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission report released in March found long wait times for young people accessing mental health services.

It also found 20% of people were not followed up after leaving hospital, one in six had to be readmitted within 28 days, and the use of compulsory treatment and solitary confinement was higher for Mā ori than for other groups.

Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson said the staff shortage meant ‘‘ridiculous’’ wait times and tougher criteria to be seen.

‘‘The crisis in mental health is not new – it has been rolling and building for several decades and because of this there is no quick fix or solution.

‘‘Labour and National can both look each other in the eye and blame each other because they are both to blame.’’

The Government should invest in community peer-led services that could help prevent people needing specialist care, he said.

‘‘Politicians like to quote big numbers but $1.9b is an increase of 18% when demand has grown by 35% so it was inadequate right off the bat. It really isn’t enough,’’ he said.

Little said the global shortage of health workers was decades in the making.

The Government had increased health funding by 44% over the past five years to a record $24b a year and was training more nurses than ever – 8190 in 2021 compared with 7340 in 2017, he said.

‘‘The crisis in mental health . . . has been rolling and building for several decades.’’ Shaun Robinson

Mental Health Foundation