Dunedin’s new Mental Health Crisis Respite Care Home opened today (September 27), significantly increasing the city’s emergency respite care capacity.
A five-bedroom facility located within 10 minutes of Dunedin Hospital, with a dedicated team of clinical staff and trained mental health support workers providing 24-hour residential support to adults experiencing acute emotional distress. Offers.
This new service is the result of an extended contract between Te Whatu Ora Southern and community service provider Pact. The service is operated by Pact, which specializes in helping people recovering from mental illness through supported 24/7 accommodation, respite care and community support. Pact manages a similar home in Lower Hutt.
The newly refurbished hotel is comfortable and spacious, offering a home-like setting surrounded by tranquil gardens. There is space for Whanau to meet privately with loved ones or stay overnight on the premises if desired.
We cater to clients requiring critical rest in a residential setting who are referred by a mental health, addiction and intellectual disability (MHAIDS) or general practice team. Pact works closely with teams and hospital services to ensure Tangata Waiora (wellness seekers) get the support they need.
The House of Experts aims to increase Dunedin’s mental health rest capacity five-fold from 365 to 1,825 nights per year, freeing up hospital beds and staff. Inpatient services remain available for those who need them.
Toni Gutschlag, Executive Director of Mental Health, Addiction and Intellectual Disabilities at Te Fatu Ola Southern, said Dunedin has historically had one-bed units available for emergency respite care, so expanding capacity has been a long-standing concern. say they are addressing a service gap in
“Many people at risk will now have access to professional, clinically-led, community-based support rather than being hospitalized, allowing them to stay closer to home,” she said. “Our aim is to provide people in the Dunedin area with early intervention and more focused care, improving the experience for users and their families.”
Pact General Manager Thomas Cardy said Pact is pleased to offer a new support option as a potential alternative to hospitalization for the Dunedin community.
“Working with the Te Fatu Ora Southern Mental Health Team and Emergency Psychiatric Services to ensure that many people who may have been hospitalized or sent home have access to short-term support with clinical surveillance. I hope it will.”
Dunedin’s initiative meets areas of need identified through the 2021 Time for Change – Te Frihanga review. This is part of a larger program of mental health reforms underway to make mental health and wellbeing care closer to home and easily accessible to everyone.
Time for Change – Te Hurihanga is a focused year-long project led by Te Whatu Ora Southern to address health, equity, place, social and systemic issues and put people at the center of care is.
This is part of a direction that will transform Aotearoa’s mental health and addiction system over the next decade. The new health and disability reform recognizes that mental health is influenced by factors such as income, housing and employment, and requires a whole-of-government approach. Our goal is to help people stay healthy and get the right help when and where they need it.
For more information on the Time for Change – Te Hurihanga program and review, please visit www.southernhealth.co.nz/timeforchange. An interim report detailing the project and its planned timeline, an overview of completed or ongoing actions, and details of next steps will be released in the coming weeks.
