David Macpherson – WHAT WOULD A DECENT MENTAL HEALTH POLICY LOOK LIKE?
Despite strong feedback from the public, political parties are still mostly shying clear from campaigning on mental health and suicide issues in the election campaign.
mental health
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Dave Macpherson: Mental Health staffing shortage PLUS culture deficit
Mental health workforce shortage statistics published this week demonstrate a staffing deficit that will surprise no-one except Health Minister Jonathan Coleman. But what they don’t show is the major culture change needed within that workforce that will also be needed to make a real difference to the effectiveness of this country’s mental health system.
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Director of Mental Health states DHBs have provisions to allow mental health unit patients to smoke – not followed by Waikato DHB
Dear Waikato DHB Board members – attached is a link to an article published today by Stuff in which the Director of Mental Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr John Crawshaw, made the following points in respect of smoking by inpatients at DHBs’ mental health units:
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Dave Macpherson – Mental Health failures: the Government’s ‘gift’ that just keeps giving
I know I’ve said it before, but the issue of our failed mental health system IS very definitely becoming an election issue, despite the best intentions of Health Minister Coleman who, in an attempt to prove he’s pulled his head out of the sand or wherever else it was stuck, has put out more media releases announcing minor dollops of dough to mental health in the last 4 months than I’ve had hot breakfasts.
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Supreme Court gives big tick to dangerous DHB policy
Supreme Court decision supporting Waitemata DHB ban on smoking areas in ‘secure’ mental health units called “stupid” by father of Waikato DHB patient whose death arose from the policy
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20,000 patients admitted to acute mental health care ‘hospital’ facilities in 3 years
These answers will not be found by Coleman and a bunch of time-serving, hui-hopping bureaucrats sitting on their chuffs in Wellington. The community must continue to pile pressure on them and their paymasters until the issues start getting seriously addressed.
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Dave Macpherson – Being part of the Health Establishment means never having to say sorry
A leading suicide prevention campaigner published a social media post on the weekend asking why the Southern District Health Board had yet to apologise to her family over the poor care for her son, who was a victim of suicide 4 years ago.
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Open Letter to ASH from Dave Macpherson
My son Nicky, 21, died as a direct result of being sent off the Waikato Hospital campus, unescorted, while a known suicide risk, to smoke; when there was (and is) a perfectly good safe outside courtyard area that he could have been in.
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Dave Macpherson – 13 Reasons Why NZ needs an independent Mental Health Review
Here are 13 reasons why NZ needs an independent Mental Health Review…
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Dave Macpherson – Suicide Prevention Strategy shown to be a fraud
The only problem was, the Government didn’t like even the idea of a target they could actually be held to. Accountability is a concept for others, not them, so they had that removed, and other offending words sanitised, so it read like a pile of “PC waffle”, according to Panel member Mike King, who promptly up and resigned in protest.