RANZCP homepage
Date
3 October 2023
Ahead of the general election on 14 October, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is calling for urgent action to ensure the mental health care and addiction system can meet the current and growing needs of the community.
The RANZCP hosted a political candidates forum, where members were given the opportunity to directly ask candidates how they plan to improve mental health care across the country.
Hear from:
- Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall, Labour Spokesperson for Health
- Matt Doocey, National Spokesperson for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Ahead of the election, the RANZCP is calling on the incoming Government to prioritise three key areas:
- Addressing the psychiatry workforce shortage
- Taking greater care of the most vulnerable 5% of the population, and
- Creating and maintaining robust data sets which will provide the necessary evidence for appropriately planning ahead.
About 1 in 5 New Zealanders will experience mental illness each year, but each year, demand is rising – particularly for our most vulnerable. The RANZCP is calling on all political parties to make mental health a priority for the next government.
Presenters
Hon. Dr Ayesha Verrall
Dr Ayesha Verrall is currently the Labour Health spokesperson as well the Spokesperson for Research, Science and Innovation.
Before entering parliament in 2020, Dr Verrall was an infectious diseases physician at Wellington Hospital and epidemiologist at the University of Otago . She served on national technical advisory focussing on tuberculosis control and immunisation. She was instrumental in developing New Zealand’s Covid-19 response.
Since she became the Minister of Health Dr Verrall has driven the Covid-19 recovery, worked to reduce surgery waitlists and strengthening public health including:
Developing New Zealand’s Smokefree 2025 Action Plan.
Promoting the fluoridation of drinking water.
Scrapping the $5 co-pay on prescriptions.
Ayesha grew up in Te Anau. She attended University of Otago medical school and worked as a junior doctor at Wellington hospital. Ayesha completed her specialist training in Singapore and her doctoral studies on tuberculosis in Indonesia.
Ayesha lives in Wellington with her partner Alice and their daughter . They enjoy exploring the New Zealand outdoors.
Dr Ayesha Verrall is currently the Labour Health spokesperson as well the Spokesperson for Research, Science and Innovation.
Before entering parliament in 2020, Dr Verrall was an infectious diseases physician at Wellington Hospital and epidemiologist at the University of Otago . She served on national technical advisory focussing on tuberculosis control and immunisation. She was instrumental in developing New Zealand’s Covid-19 response.
Since she became the Minister of Health Dr Verrall has driven the Covid-19 recovery, worked to reduce surgery waitlists and strengthening public health including:
Developing New Zealand’s Smokefree 2025 Action Plan.
Promoting the fluoridation of drinking water.
Scrapping the $5 co-pay on prescriptions.
Ayesha grew up in Te Anau. She attended University of Otago medical school and worked as a junior doctor at Wellington hospital. Ayesha completed her specialist training in Singapore and her doctoral studies on tuberculosis in Indonesia.
Ayesha lives in Wellington with her partner Alice and their daughter . They enjoy exploring the New Zealand outdoors.
Matt Doocey
Matt Doocey is Member of Parliament for Waimakariri and is the National Party’s first Spokesperson for Mental Health & Suicide Prevention. He has consistently advocated for Mental Health within Parliament, championing community sector involvement, workforce issues, and developing policy for an all of government response to mental health in New Zealand.
A born and bred Cantabrian, Matt lives in the electorate with his wife Viktoria and their daughter Emily and son James.
After pursuing opportunities in the UK, Matt decided to return home to give something back after the earthquakes and work at the CDHB.
Matt went to St Bedes College before studying counselling psychology at WelTec (Wellington). He has a Bsc (Hons) in Social Policy, an MA in Healthcare Management from Kingston University in London and an MSc in Global Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London.
Matt had a long career in healthcare management including in the delivery of community health, mental health and social care services both in voluntary and Government settings.
Matt Doocey is Member of Parliament for Waimakariri and is the National Party’s first Spokesperson for Mental Health & Suicide Prevention. He has consistently advocated for Mental Health within Parliament, championing community sector involvement, workforce issues, and developing policy for an all of government response to mental health in New Zealand.
A born and bred Cantabrian, Matt lives in the electorate with his wife Viktoria and their daughter Emily and son James.
After pursuing opportunities in the UK, Matt decided to return home to give something back after the earthquakes and work at the CDHB.
Matt went to St Bedes College before studying counselling psychology at WelTec (Wellington). He has a Bsc (Hons) in Social Policy, an MA in Healthcare Management from Kingston University in London and an MSc in Global Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London.
Matt had a long career in healthcare management including in the delivery of community health, mental health and social care services both in voluntary and Government settings.
Disclaimer
This session is a Member benefit of the RANZCP and for educational purposes only. The information may represent views of the author and not necessarily the views of the College. Information is subject to change and the College does not warrant that the information is current at the time of viewing and accepts no liability for any loss or damage suffered by you or a patient directly or indirectly as a result of relying on information provided and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement. By accessing e-learning sessions you also agree to the RANZCP Website Terms of Use Agreement.
