Dougal Sutherland: Umbrella Wellbeing Clinical Psychologist on the data showing faster access to mental health support

The Government's revealed progress is being made towards their mental health and addiction targets. 

The latest data shows 80.3% of New Zealanders are accessing specialist mental health and addiction support within three weeks. 

However, that percentage is carried by eight of the 20 regions, leaving behind Northland, Gisborne, and Canterbury. 

Clinical Psychologist Dr Dougal Sutherland told Mike Hosking the access to specialist services was a positive surprise, as it’s not necessarily what he’d heard. 

He says he’s cautiously optimistic about the progress, but there is still room for improvement. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
On the broad subject of health. As we were a
moment ago some new data around targets for mental health.
So the target for access was eighty percent first year
of reforms, it's landed tod eighty three point eight, So
I guess that's when access to specialist services got over
eighty as well. Just sure to ed stays big mess,
sixty nine percent versus that target of ninety five percent.
Doctor Dougal Sutherland, as clinical psychologist, standers with us, do

(00:20):
good morning morning. Make those numbers all feel about right
to you? You see it, you see it, you feel.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
It look to be honest, the access to specialist services
was a surprise, a positive surprise that that's not necessarily
what I've kind of heard, but you know, that's what
the stats say, so we'll accept that. So that and
that's positive I think getting yeah good.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Regionally, three out of four, got it. The South Island
is a mess. So we're still sort of talking post
code stuff.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Are we, Yeah, a little bit. And if you're drilled
down even further by kind of district, you know, some
some areas West Coast fifty seven percent, Northland fifty eight percent,
so they you know, some of those rural areas have
have always been difficult to service. Well, they're spread out
geographical areas and it's always been difficult and they're still
lagging behind a long way. So it still is some

(01:11):
post code stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
Absolutely, So what has happened here? Is it more money
or is it efficiency of money or more people or
all of that?

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah? Probably, Well, I don't know if it's I don't
know if it's more people. They're still not training the
promised five hundred people more per year that that that
was one of the targets. So I'm not sure if
it's more people, but perhaps more efficiency. I would imagine
that there'll be some siphoning off well that's not the
right word, targeting of funding towards those areas to meet

(01:39):
those those targets, which is one of the benefits of
having targets and goals.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Okay, explain the six hours D How do you know
an ED whether it's a mental health case or just
a regular medical case, and are they given the dds
a shambles anyway? Are you ever going to get to
the target?

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah? Look, I say you know that that'll be when
people pre d d D. You know, you go up
and you get triaged and you basically say why you're here,
and people would at that stage so that they're here
for some sort of mental health issue, or they've been
brought in by the police or the nearest and dearest,
So that's the way that you'd identify it very quickly
at triage. But yeah, I think that that that issue

(02:15):
is all tied up with with the just huge pressure
that our eds are on under at the moment, and
I think that's that's almost I think a separate issue
from mental health. That needs to be that. Yeah, that
needs to be looked at separately apart from this.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
I think that's how I sing, are you broadly speaking
optimistic coming mental health? I mean, how long are we
doing mental health interviews? I mean, you know, forever we
are we heading in the right direction?

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, Look, I'm cautiously uptimistic. I give them a past mark.
There's still room for improvement. But look, I do think
it's useful having a Minister for mental health. I think
it brings the focus onto that area. When you've got
a minister, people focus on things, and so I think, yep,
we're slowly edging towards it. Is there room for improvement, absolutely,
but are we getting the ear.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yeah, I think so good stuff. Doogle? Appreciate your insight,
Doctor Doogle, Southerland clinical psychologist, which reminds me of that
Herald boardroom thing last week. How much of that was
just image? Do you reckon? Because Doocey didn't score well,
he's the Minister of mental Health, he didn't score well.
You've just heard a doctor saying he's doing a reasonably
good job. So how much of it was CEO is
going doucy? Yeah Doocy, I can't remember. I'll give him
two point three. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,

(03:25):
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