Data and information about the performance of mental health and addiction services.
This section contains data and information about the performance of mental health and addiction services.
Following the health and disability system reforms in July 2022, many of the data and information reporting functions have transferred to Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand. The Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora are committed to transparency and sharing available information publicly. There are 3 key areas that data falls into:
- Mental health and addiction service use – this information helps us understand the demand for services, how many people are accessing new and existing services, and how services are performing against expectations.
- Suicide statistics – this information helps us understand the rate of suicide within Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as the number of suspected intentionally self-inflicted deaths.
- Regulatory reporting – this information helps us understand how existing legislation is being used to assess and treat people with mental health and addiction needs.
Service use data are the responsibility of Te Whatu Ora, suicide statistics and related data are the responsibility of Te Whatu Ora and the Office of the Chief Coroner, and regulatory reporting remains a Ministry of Health responsibility.
There are also other mental health and addiction system monitors, independent of the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora.
Mental health and addiction service use
Information on the performance of Aotearoa New Zealand’s mental health and addiction services helps us understand how long people have had to wait to be seen by mental health and/or addiction services, and the demographic breakdown of people accessing services.
National Service Framework
One of the main sources for mental health and addiction data up until 2023 has been the National Service Framework Library. This site provided data on specialist mental health and addiction services, including:
- number of people and population percentages engaging with specialist services
- consumer experience and service quality rates (up to 2014)
- transition (discharge) planning
- waiting times.
The National Service Framework Library site has now been decommissioned. The National Service Framework is now the responsibility of Te Whatu Ora.
Specialist service use
Every year, approximately 175,000 people access specialist and non-government organisation (NGO) services for mental health and/or addiction support.
Using figures like these helps us understand trends about who is accessing services (eg, by age and ethnicity) and which types of services people are accessing (eg, former district health board/Te Whatu Ora or NGO).
Te Whatu Ora publishes information on service use using the Mental Health and Addiction: Service Use web tool.
Previous data tables were published by the Ministry of Health at Mental health and addiction: service use – series.
Expanding Access and Choice of Primary Mental Health and Addiction supports
A key component of the Wellbeing Budget 2019 was investment in a programme of work to ‘expand access and choice of primary mental health and addiction supports’ across Aotearoa New Zealand (known as Access and Choice). The establishment of services started in late 2019 with national rollout phased over a 5-year period. There are no criteria to access these services, no cost, and support is immediate and rapid. There are four main workstreams:
- Integrated Primary Mental Health and Addiction (IPMHA) services accessed through general practice
- Kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction services accessed primarily through kaupapa Māori NGOs and community providers
- Pacific primary mental health and addiction services accessed primarily through Pacific-led community-based organisations
- Youth primary mental health and addiction services accessed through NGOs, community-based organisations, and youth one-stop shops.
Data from these Access and Choice services can be found on the Access and Choice programme website.
Suicide statistics
The Office of the Chief Coroner and Te Whatu Ora publish confirmed and provisional suicide statistics, or suspected intentionally self-inflicted deaths, annually. Provisional suicide statistics relate to deaths where suicide is suspected but has not yet been confirmed by a coroner; some cases recorded as provisional may eventually be found not to be suicides. Confirmed suicide statistics are based on the number of suicides confirmed by coroners, or where there is sufficient other evidence to conclude the death was a suicide.
- Suicide web tool by Te Whatu Ora and the Office of the Chief Coroner
- Coronial Services of New Zealand
Regulatory reporting
There are two main pieces of legislation relating to mental health and addiction: the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 (the Mental Health Act) and the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017 (SACAT). The Director of Mental Health and the Director of Addiction Services are statutory roles under these Acts respectively.
Each year, approximately 11,000 people in Aotearoa New Zealand are subject to treatment or assessment under either of those Acts.
The Ministry of Health reports on the use of SACAT legislation in its Annual Report. The use of the Mental Health Act, and other provisions related to mental health and addiction treatment, are reported annually in the Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ Regulatory Report.
- Ministry of Health Annual Report
- Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ Regulatory Report
More reports related to the use of legislation, including guidelines and earlier reports, can be found on the publications webpage.
Due to the time it takes to quality check the data, these reports can take a while to be published. However, the Ministry of Health and Te Whatu Ora are committed to working together to improve this process.
Mental Health Review Tribunal Annual Reports
The Mental Health Review Tribunal is an independent body appointed by the Minister of Health under the Mental Health Act to help support and protect the rights and interests of people subject to that Act.
The Tribunal’s Annual Reports cover the types of applications they received, and the outcomes of these applications.
Other mental health and addiction system monitors
Prior to 9 February 2021, responsibility for monitoring and advocacy for improvement to mental health and addiction services was held by the Health and Disability Commissioner.
Now, Te Hiringa Mahara – the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission has responsibility of providing independent system-level oversight of mental health and wellbeing, and holding the Government of the day and other decision-makers to account for the mental health and wellbeing of people in Aotearoa New Zealand. They publish monitoring reports on mental health and addiction service provision.
Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission also plays an important role in working with clinicians, providers and consumers to improve health services. They maintain a national quality improvement programme and support mental health and addiction services with data and coaching.