Health New Zealand’s implementation plan is in place following changes NZ Police is making to its response to mental health.

At the heart of these changes is ensuring people in mental distress receive the right care at the right time.

Health NZ acknowledges that changes like these are not easy, and we recognise there will be a period of adjustment. We value the work of our people throughout this transition and emphasise that we do not want staff to put themselves in risky situations. Teams should continue to follow usual processes, including shared decision-making, seeking support of senior staff for advice, and escalating matters as needed.

The safety and well-being of our staff and people requiring mental health support is our top priority. This is why the changes are being implemented in phases, with the first being Police interactions that are largely considered low risk: voluntary handovers to EDs, mental health transportation requests, and police attendance at mental health facilities.

Police will continue to bring people in mental health distress to ED for our teams to care for. There is now a streamlined handover process, which enables Police to depart sooner. We continue to work closely with Police locally, regionally, and nationally to ensure a smooth transition and produce solutions to address any issues that may arise.

The next phase of change is planned to commence in March 2025.

To reflect the phased rollout of the change process, Health NZ’s planning is also being done in stages. We will be closely monitoring how the first phase of change proceeds to ensure our planning for the subsequent phases is appropriate.

Interim national standard operating procedures have been introduced to guide staff through the changes. They are interim so that staff can provide feedback on what is and isn’t working. All concerns raised by our teams are being taken seriously and we welcome all and any feedback.

We will continue to engage with and update our people and stakeholders on these changes as they are rolled out over the next 12 months.