The Chief District Court Judge has issued a ''please explain'' to the Southern District Health Board over the region's excessive waiting times for mental-health reports.
The problems were revealed in the Dunedin District Court this month when a judge was informed by a forensic nurse it would take 10 weeks for a report to be completed.
Judge Michael Crosbie said it was ''not good enough'' and took aim at the DHB over the delays.
''It appears to me, having performed this role for many years, that that's a delay in the order of which I have never heard before and it's unacceptable,'' he said.
He had his in-court comments recorded so Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue was aware of the situation.
While they had not made their way to her Wellington office a week ago, Judge Doogue responded to the Otago Daily Times once she was appraised of the circumstances.
''The timely administration of justice is a key concern to me in my role as chief judge because it is central to a fair and impartial justice system and protects human rights.
''Therefore, it is important to identify and try to remove any obstacles to timely justice,'' she said.
''I have written to the chief executive of the Southern DHB seeking clarification of the timeframes for DHB health professionals to prepare court-directed reports.
''I have also asked that if there has been a deterioration in those timeframes, what plans there are to address it?''
Under the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act, a judge may request a report be prepared by a ''health assessor'' to help the court understand elements of a defendant's mental health as it may have impacted their offending, the court process and sentencing.
Southern DHB medical director of mental health Brad Strong recently told the ODT the reports were prepared by professionals with ''very special training in forensic mental health and can be quite lengthy as well as very time and labour-intensive to produce''.
He said the blown-out waiting time was due to an increase in courts requesting such reports.
Mental health services were under ''enormous pressure'', Mr Strong said, to provide care to those in the community, as well as those going through the justice system.
He said the DHB was ''actively working'' to address the issues in relation to the court.
