Labour axes mental health scheme

Andrea Vance at Stuff reports:

Funding for a ground-breaking mental health scheme to ease strain on emergency services has been axed by the Government. 

An $8 million co-response service would see a mental health worker attend all crisis calls along with police and ambulance staff. Officials believed it could slash the number of mentally ill people being locked up in police cells by as much as 75 per cent.

But Health Minister David Clark has dumped the programme, which was due to begin in September.

It comes a week after Stuff revealed the Government dropped extra funding for cochlear implant surgeries.

Labour has billions of dollars for good looking horses, diplomats and students, but cuts funding for mental health response teams and cochlear implants.

It is all a question of priorities.