39808 (2024). Ingrid Leary to the Minister for Mental Health

39808 (2024). Ingrid Leary to the Minister for Mental Health: What actions, if any, will the Minister take to address safety concerns that led Professor Marie Bismark (psychiatrist) to resigning after a year of doing the work of three specialists, with the final straw being denied a panic button in her office?

Hon Matt Doocey: I am aware that there are workforce shortages and vacancies in many specialist mental health services, which can impact on service access and the workloads of our valued mental health professionals. Accordingly, my priority is to grow the mental health and addiction workforce, and I have therefore set a target for Health New Zealand to train 500 mental health and addiction professionals each year.