Photo: Unsplash / Matthew Ansley
The mental health services that treat those in prisons and before New Zealand's courts are experiencing delays amid a shortage of forensic psychiatrists.
Forensic psychiatrists are responsible for providing reports on a persons' mental health for the court, as well as providing treatment for those in prison and in hospital.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' Justin Barry-Walsh said it was not just a shortage of psychiatrists causing issues.
"It's been our view for some time that there is a shortage of in-patient beds, both for men and for women, particularly for those most unwell and in need of admission from prison," Barry-Walsh said.
Resource issues, as well as wider workforce challenges, were impacting patient care and the challenges faced by the sector would take significant time to address, he said.
"The problem of numbers is not something you can change quickly.
"It requires the training up of doctors as psychiatrists and then as forensic psychiatrists, and that takes a considerable amount of time."
Barry-Walsh was concerned the shortage could have an impact on treatment for those in prisons and in in-patient care.
However, an Auckland mental health clinic said it was able to continue their operations despite staff shortages.
The Mason Clinic also provides forensic psychiatry services for the region's courts and prisons.
In a statement to RNZ, the clinic said it was facing a shortfall of 3.4 full time employees.
It followed a period of full staffing within the facility, the clinic said.
Despite this, it said there had not been any significant changes to the way current staff care for patients and their whānau.
It was working with the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists to address the shortage, it said.
The association's executive director, Sarah Dalton, said the lack of staff, paired with the increased demand for psychiatric care, was creating dangerous conditions for patients and those looking after them.
"What our members want to do, which are forensic psychiatrists and psychiatrists in other settings, is provide high quality care for all of the patients wanting to be seen," Dalton said.
"That is simply not possible under current staffing constraints."
She had seen a large number of resignations from psychiatrists either choosing to work in better conditions or leaving the field all together, she said.
