Patients with severe mental health problems are reportedly waiting for up to 72 hours for care in the South Auckland region because of a shortage of staff. The region’s 24-hour crisis response team is short of four full-time doctors and three nurses, and is struggling to recruit people because of strict limits on new hires . Locums are being used to fill the gaps, but only one of them is full-time.
It is understood that some nurses are routinely working 60-hour weeks. Health NZ - Te Whatu Ora confirmed that Counties Manukau’s Mental Health and Addiction service was affected by high demand and vacancies, but said it was not aware of specific instances of delayed treatment for acute cases. Counties Manukau’s mental health crisis team responds to acute calls, such as suicidal patients or those in severe distress.
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