Te Whare o Matairangi Inpatient Service

Te Whare O Matairangi is a 24 hour mental health assessment and treatment service for adults aged from 18 upwards who are experiencing serious mental health concerns.

The focus is on recovery and returning people to their usual life with community support if needed. We aim to provide the best possible clinical care in a respectful, supportive, safe and caring environment.

The service is for people in Wellington, Porirua or Kāpiti area who are experiencing severe mental illness. We sometimes admit people from the Hutt and other areas.

Referrals to Te Whare ō Matairangi can be made via our specialist mental health and addiction services only. If you or someone you know needs urgent help, call MHAIDS 24/7 on 0800 745 477 or find other options for support here.    

When the person arrives they are assigned a care team including a responsible clinician, usually a consultant psychiatrist, and a nurse.

These are the persons and their family’s main contact people throughout their stay. Treatment and care is also provided by a team of trained professionals working as a multidisciplinary team.

There is a range of professional and support staff who work at the unit. Staff wear identification badges and you can ask them more about their role in the unit.

Here are examples of what we provide:

• Occupational therapists engage people in everyday activities of interest, paid or volunteer
  work, outside interests and activities to get them on the road to feeling
  better.
• Mental health nurses help with medication, advocacy and assessment, and can do home visits.
• Mental health support workers focus on people’s comfort and their personal cares.
• Social workers provide talking therapy, support with families, psychosocial education, support with social services and connecting people with communities.
• Our psychologist provides psychological assessment and interventions.
• Psychiatrists can prescribe medication if it is the best option.

Having a family member or friend in hospital can be worrying and stressful. Staff are able to provide whānau with information about mental illness and the treatment options the unit has to offer. We can also refer people to other organisations for independent information and support.

Visiting hours are 10am to 2pm and 4pm to 8pm unless discussed with the team leader or nurse in charge.
Please call the ward on 04 806 2702 to book in a visit so we can ensure our visitor room is free for you and your whanau before you arrive.

We encourage visits by family or friends. Maintaining social contacts can play a positive role in people’s recovery.

Please do not take photos or recordings of the ward or patients. Client confidentiality is important.

Staff may ask that a patient has a maximum of two visitors at once.

Children under 16 may visit certain areas of the ward. However they must be supervised by an adult (not the client) at all times. Please discuss this with a nurse.

Please do not bring the following items into the ward: plastic bags, illicit substances, glass, anything sharp, medications. Please be aware staff are expected to check all items coming into the ward for safety.

Te Whare O Matairangi promotes a smokefree environment. Please do not smoke anywhere in the ward.

Te Whare O Matairangi aims to work in a culturally appropriate way with all people and their whānau. The unit has a whānau room available for people and their whānau to use.

The unit receives support on cultural matters from:

• The Kaumatua provides individual support and advice to the care team on cultural matters.
• Te Whare Marie Maori mental health service, which provides support and input to the unit from a Māori cultural perspective.
• Health Pasifika, which is available to support care from a Pasifika cultural perspective.
• Interpreters via an interpreting service is available for either the person and/or their family members.

Read more about your rights and responsibilities as a client here.

Referrals to Te Whare ō Matairangi can be made via our specialist mental health and addiction services only. If you or your family member has already been referred to our service, please use the contact details below.

• Phone: 04 806 2702
• Address: 55 Mein Street, Newtown, Wellington

See details for Wellington Regional Hospital, including location, maps and parking. There are a number of car parks assigned to Te Whare o Matairangi.