Youth mental health access data to be reported

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has today announced that the Government will begin publicly reporting how quickly young people are accessing mental health support as part of its quarterly mental health target results from the next release.

"I have listened to calls for greater transparency around youth mental health. That’s why from the next release, our quarterly mental health target reporting will include a breakdown showing how quickly young people are accessing support against the three access targets," Mr Doocey says. 

"When I introduced these targets, I was clear that their purpose was to improve transparency and accountability. There is nothing that holds me more accountable than publicly reporting how we are tracking for everyone to see. 

"It is only common sense that, alongside regional and ethnicity breakdowns, we also report how fast young people are accessing support. 

"We know mental health is one of the biggest challenges facing young New Zealanders today, and I am determined to pull every lever available to ensure they can get the support they need. 

"A recent survey showed only 3.7 per cent of young people who needed support said they couldn't get an appointment. However, it also highlighted other barriers we must continue to break down, with 29.4 per cent saying they did not know where to get help, and more than 35 per cent saying they were too embarrassed to seek support.

"That tells us our work must go beyond increasing access. We also need to make sure young people know where to go for help and feel confident asking for it.

"That is why hosting New Zealand's first Youth Mental Health Summit at Parliament was so important, and why I am committed to working alongside Youthline to implement the youth-led roadmap presented at the summit.

"The Government is continuing to deliver support for young people across the continuum of care through initiatives including Gumboot Friday counselling sessions, increased funding for specialist youth mental health services, and mental health promotion to encourage young people to seek support early. 

“While there is more work to do, by publishing the youth breakdown, I expect to see continued improvement in ensuring young people get faster access to the support they need.

“I want to especially thank the Mental Health Foundation for their advocacy in ensuring the youth data is publicly released.”

Notes to editor:

As of the most recent quarter the below is how youth are tracking against the targets: 

77.3% of young people accessing specialist mental health services within 3 weeks. 
79.5% of young people are accessing primary mental health support within 1 week.  
73.1% of young people are being admitted, transferred or discharged from an emergency department within six hours. ...