The Health Select Committee has been digesting the Auditor-General's report on how well public organisations are working to meet the mental health needs of young people.
Parliament's health select committee has been digesting the auditor-general's report on how well public organisations are working together to meet the mental health needs of young New Zealanders.
The auditor-general's work includes inquiring into how public organisations are operating, and it also watches how public money is spent. Its findings offer an independent view that can inform Parliament and the public.
In its report, 'Meeting the mental health needs of young New Zealanders', the auditor-general concluded that "a more youth-focussed, integrated, and coherent system of care is required to meet young people's mental health needs".
"Mental health is the biggest issue facing young New Zealanders today" - Leanne McAviney
Auditor-General's interest
You may be wondering why the auditor-general probed this area. The assistant auditor-general of sector performance Leanne McAviney, who came to talk to the committee along with a couple of colleagues, gave a helpful answer.
"Mental health is the biggest issue facing young New Zealanders today," she said.
"It affects people's ability to participate in education, work or just to cope with the challenges that come with that transition into adulthood. And the costs of inaction to support youth mental health are high."
McAviney said early and effective intervention was linked to a range of positive outcomes.
Those included improved achievement in education, increased lifelong earnings and greater life expectancy.
"So our office has a deep interest in this matter and has a continuing interest in how well government agencies work together to address some of the country's most complex challenges, and this is one of them. Our work examining the response to family violence and sexual violence is another example."
Report's main findings
Four key findings from the report were shared with the health select committee by the senior performance auditor Dr Rachel Patrick.
"First, many young people in distress can't access the support they need, when and where they need it. So we've seen government investment into new primary level mental health services and that is making a difference in making primary mental health care more available to young people. Yet at the same time, we're seeing growth in waiting lists at the specialists end of the system, so for children and young people in particular," Patrick said…