Mental health crisis looming and urgent investment needed, psychiatrists warn
Psychiatrists in New Zealand are warning of a severe staffing crisis, with half the workforce expected to retire within a decade. Experts are calling for urgent investment in training and resources to prevent a collapse in mental health services.
Why it matters
The potential workforce shortage threatens the accessibility of critical healthcare services, particularly for vulnerable populations like Māori and Pasifika youth.
Psychiatrists are warning of a looming mental health staffing crisis and say urgent investment is needed to avoid a workforce cliff.
The Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists told RNZ that half of the current psychiatry workforce was retiring within a decade and one in five positions were vacant.
RANZCP board director Dr Mark Lawrence said urgent investment was needed to nearly double psychiatry training places.
"We don't have enough senior psychiatrists to then supervise our trainees and then we are not training enough trainees as well," he said. "It's a double-edged sword - if we don't do something soon, it's going to be a challenging space for all of us."
Lawrence said psychological distress was climbing, yet there had been a dramatic dropoff in New Zealanders accessing specialist mental health and addiction services over the past five years.
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