Labour MPs on Parliament's health select committee have vetoed a bid to hold the government to account over a lack of progress on mental health.
Matt Doocey said any review should go to an independent select committee. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Members of the Health Select Committee from National, ACT and the Greens voted in favour of holding an inquiry into the delay in providing 15 new mental health inpatient facilities and starting new projects.
The multi-party bid was led by National's mental health spokesperson Matt Doocey who said the government is "talking out both sides of its mouth" on the mental health issue.
"Publicly they say that they are going to transform the mental health system, yet they fail to deliver, and behind closed doors they actually block things that would make a difference."
Doocey said the review was an "off the cuff" announcement and there are no terms of reference.
"[Health Minister] Andrew Little was under immense pressure last week when I released a statement that showed out of $438 million announced for new patient facilities, they'd only spent 5 percent of that."
Doocey said currently they do not know what Little's review will cover.
"I as the opposition spokesperson wrote a very detailed motion, quite detailed terms of reference, that would look at the roadblocks, understand what we need to do, look at issues like 'what is the gold standard for therapeutic environments for in-patient facilities' and even whether we can do more in in-patient community settings to free up the residential beds in DHBs."
Doocey said any review should have gone to an independent select committee and he will be questioning Little again in Parliament today.
Health Minister Andrew Little has expressed frustration at the time taken to get shovels in the ground and wanted funding to roll out faster.
Meanwhile, the ACT Party is accusing Labour MPs of failing to fulfil their role of holding the government to account at parliamentary select committees after it blocked the inquiry.
ACT's Brooke van Velden, who is on the health committee, said all of the select committees have the same problem due to Labour's large majority.