Dunedin’s new mental health crisis respite home opens today (September 27), significantly increasing the city’s capacity for emergency respite care.
Located less than 10 minutes from Dunedin Hospital, the five-bedroom property and its dedicated team of clinical staff and trained mental health support workers will provide 24-hour residential support to adults experiencing acute mental distress.
The new service is the result of an expanded contract between Te Whatu Ora Southern and community service provider Pact. The service will be run by Pact, which specializes in helping people recovering from mental illness through 24/7 housing, respite care and community support. Pact runs a similar house in Lower Hutt.
The recently renovated property is comfortable and spacious, offering a home-like setting in a tranquil garden setting. There is space for the whānau to see their loved ones in private or even stay overnight if they wish.
Will accommodate clients referred by Mental Health, Addiction and Intellectual Disability (MHAIDS) or General Practice teams, who require crisis respite in a residential setting. Pact will work closely with inpatient teams and services to ensure tangata whaiora (well-seekers) receive the support they need.
The specialist home will result in a five-fold increase in Dunedin’s mental health respite capacity, from 365 bed-nights per year to 1,825 bed-nights per year, and is intended to free up hospital beds and staff. Inpatient hospital services will continue to be available to those who need them.
Toni Gutschlag, Te Whatu Ora Southern’s Executive Director of Mental Health, Addictions and Intellectual Disability, says that Dunedin has historically had a one-bed unit available for emergency respite care, so the capacity expansion is addressing a long-standing service gap.
“Many more people in crisis will be able to access professional, clinically-led, community-based support rather than hospitalization, allowing them to stay closer to home,” he says. “Our goal is to provide earlier intervention and more focused care for people in the Dunedin region, and an improved experience for users and their whānau.”
Pact General Manager Thomas Cardy says Pact is delighted to offer the new support option as a potential alternative to hospital admission for the Dunedin community.
“We anticipate that it will help a number of people who might otherwise have been admitted or sent home to access short-term support with clinical supervision in collaboration with the Te Whatu Ora Southern mental health teams and the Te Whatu Ora Southern psychiatry service. emergency”.
The Dunedin initiative meets the areas of need identified through the 2021 Time for Change – Te Hurihanga review. It is part of a broader program of ongoing mental health reforms to bring mental health and wellness care closer to the home and easier access for all.
Time for Change: Te Hurihanga is a year-long focused project led by Te Whatu Ora Southern to address health, equity, locational, social and systemic issues and put people at the center of attention.
It is part of the drive to transform Aotearoa’s mental health and addiction system over the next 10 years. New health and disability reforms recognize that mental well-being is influenced by factors including income, housing, and employment, requiring a whole-of-government approach. Their goal is to support people to stay well and have access to help that works for them, when and where they need it.
More information about the Time for Change – Te Hurihanga program and its review are available at www.southernhealth.co.nz/timeforchange. An interim report detailing the projects and their planned timelines, an overview of completed or ongoing actions, and next steps will be released in the coming weeks.
