Roles, workforce patterns, and concerns of psychologists working in New Zealand public hospitals: Findings from a national mixed-methods survey

Unmet need for health psychologists is growing internationally. However, methodologically consistent and regular workforce data is lacking for long-term, evidence-based workforce planning. A two-armed, mixed-methods study (PsycH) of health psychologists was conducted across all 20 health districts in New Zealand (May 2022-January 2023). Arm 1 had 115 individual psychologists responding, while 17 professional leaders responded to Arm 2. Overall, PsycH found 126.14 full-time equivalent (FTE) psychologist positions across 34 categories of physical health services. The psychological workforce grew by 31.60 FTEs over the last 5 years, but 73 new positions worth 70.80 FTEs are needed to meet projected demand over the next 5 years. Psychologists reported high levels of job satisfaction but persistent systemic barriers to sustainable workforce development. PsycH highlighted the importance of robust and regular workforce data in facing growing levels of unmet need for psychologists in physical health settings in New Zealand, with similar challenges seen internationally.