Mike King has hit back at Lifeline's response to his claims that the organisation "refused" the help of other services to deal with unanswered calls.
On Wednesday afternoon the mental health advocate took to his Facebook page and posted Lifeline's senior management weren't giving all the facts about why the suicide prevention helpline "is in the position it is in".
- Mike King slams Lifeline, claims it refused help with unanswered calls
- Mike King explains why mental illness is hard to see
After revealing that one in four calls is missed due to resource restrictions, Lifeline appealed for donations to fund an overload of phone calls from at-risk Kiwis.
Mr King claimed that National Telehealth Services, founded by Homecare Medical, offered to bridge the gap after Need to Talk? won government funding in 2015, but that idea was dismissed by Lifeline.
When approached by Newshub, Lifeline stated that "where appropriate" the organisation will refer callers to some of Homecare Medical's services and welcomed the opportunity to "korero" with him.
But the former comedian has since criticised their reaction and labelled their comments "corporate double talk", questioning why they are seeking donations when the national, fully-funded helpline is there to assist.
"What's more appropriate than a person needing to get in touch?" Mr King said.
"Their response wanting to talk tells me they've trapped themselves. I just want people who are suicidal to get help.
"It is time we stopped using suicidal people as a pawn in a chess game, put aside the politics and let's get these people some help."
Mr King said Lifeline is "emotionally blackmailing people to donate" by sending a message, "if they don't get money now, people will die”.
He explained he is still desperate to know why Lifeline refuses to send all the calls to Need to Talk? when they have qualified counsellors ready to assist.
Lifeline argued that previously they had declined to work with Homecare Medical, but that has since changed.
"Like Mike King, Lifeline is committed to getting Kiwis help and reducing suicide in Aotearoa,” a representative told Newshub.
"Under previous management, Lifeline did decline to work with Homecare Medical.
"However, under new leadership, we’ve been working with Homecare Medical on how we can complement each other to provide Kiwis with support when needed.
"We have an MOU in place and are exploring all options, and in the meantime, we need to answer the increasing number of Kiwis who are calling Lifeline each year."
Lifeline said it is still very interested in speaking with Mr King.
"We have admiration for his contribution to suicide awareness in New Zealand and we would love his input."
Homecare Medical CEO, Andrew Slater, told Newshub that at times over the last three years we have made offers to support Lifeline when their call demand outstrips their resources.
"To date this offer has not been taken up," he said.
He confirmed that the National Telehealth Service does have a MOU with Lifeline to explore how they refer their callers to our specialist services (Alcohol Drug Helpline, Gambling Helpline) and how they might work together more closely in the future.
Where to find help and support:
Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
- Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Newshub.
