Mental health ambulance callouts reveal 'unmet health need', researchers say

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-02-27 00:01

New Zealand

Medic1nz, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

An NZ study looking at a year of ambulance callouts for mental health finds that around a third were in the most deprived areas, and particularly among Māori and Pacific peoples. There was also a higher proportion of callouts for younger people among Māori and Pacific peoples compared to other ethnicities. Almost a third of patients weren't taken to hospital by the ambulance, which the authors say suggests many callouts could be managed outside of emergency settings. However, they say their findings show an unmet health need, particularly among younger Māori and Pacific people. Their recommendations include comprehensive policy changes to address issues like racism, inequity, and healthcare barriers, and strengthening community mental health support.

News release

From: New Zealand Medical Journal

Mental health conditions affect many people in Aotearoa New Zealand, but not everyone receives the same level of support. Māori and Pacific peoples are the most affected by these gaps in care. Ambulance crews can often be the first to respond to individuals experiencing mental health concerns, and these callouts have been rising. This research shows that youth, Māori, Pacific peoples and those living in deprived areas have higher proportions of ambulance callouts for mental health–related concerns. These findings highlight the urgent need for community based and culturally safe mental health care. Addressing upstream factors such as access to economic resources may prevent overburdening community mental health services, emergency departments and the ambulance services.

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Auckland, AUT University, Wellington Free Ambulance, Hato Hone St John

Funder: N/A

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