Kia ora
A desire to support people who may be struggling, and to improve things for our communities, is the reason many of us found roles in the mental health and addiction sector.
The Mental Health and Addiction Change Programme presents us with a unique opportunity to make improvements for tāngata whaiora and whānau, and so we celebrate several of our workstreams and projects passing important milestones recently.
In September we shared our decision in relation to the Local Adult Specialist Mental Health and Addiction Service Change Proposal. You can find out more about the decision and our next steps in the article below, and we will continue to keep you updated as things progress.
In this pānui you’ll also learn about the latest developments in the Peer Support project and the Te Awakairangi workstream. Both these pieces of work represent progress towards more person-directed, accessible, and equitable care.
As we move through the implementation phase in several projects over the next few months, we are looking forward to delivering services that provide better care for the communities we serve.
Ngā mihi
Paul Oxnam Scott Ambridge
Executive Clinical Director, MHAIDS Executive Director, MHAIDS
Community Mental Health and Addiction
Decision reached: Local Adult Specialist Mental Health and Addiction Service
Earlier this year we consulted with kaimahi on a change proposal on the redesign of secondary mental health and addiction services. The proposal was summarised in this document.
The feedback we received is that our current system is unsustainable, and we agree that improvements are needed to deliver positive outcomes for the communities we serve. This is reflected in the final decisions around improvements to the service, which were shared with staff in mid-September and sees many of the changes outlined in the summary document proceed.
The changes will help deliver future care that is more equitable, accessible, and closer to home. They are evidence-based, data-driven, and aligned with national priorities.
The feedback highlighted the need to pace the speed of change, and this is reflected in the final decision document. The feedback also highlighted the need to redefine our organisational culture and purpose of ‘why we exist’ as a service.
The vision, principles, and direction in the change proposal were supported and have therefore been endorsed.
Further points outlined in the summary document were also endorsed. These include:
We will be proceeding with closure of the Te Haika mental health telephone service, which will end in March 2024. This service will then be provided by Whakarongorau Aotearoa, a national telehealth provider already working with several other districts.
We received lots of feedback about the Rapid Response function and will be engaging further on options for the future service delivery model for this mahi at the end of October. Our intent is to provide an integrated, local response and more options for tāngata whaiora and whānau who present in crisis, including peer support, increased specialist mental health staff in Emergency Departments, and expanding the Co-response Team model.
Having good foundations will help us as we begin work on significant changes to the way services are delivered. Our first priorities are re-confirming leadership structures, and establishing project and change management resourcing that will be needed to support the improvements. This work will start in October and will be our focus over the next three months.
One step closer to increased peer support at MHAIDS
Work on the Peer Support project continues to gather pace, and we are shining a light on the mahi taking place in this area.
As we previously advised, four MHAIDS teams have been selected to progress to pilot peer support staff working as part of clinical teams: Early Intervention Service, Te Whare o Matairangi, Tūhonohono, and Health Pasifika.
All four have embarked on journeys, alongside a rōpū of lived experience, Māori, Pacific, Disability and MHAIDS advisors, to determine the best way to partner with NGOs and integrate peer support kaimahi into their teams. NGO partners for Health Pasifika and Tūhonohono have now been selected, with peer support kaimahi starting to join MHAIDS teams next year. Find out more.
Image: Peer Support fono with representatives from MHAIDS’ Health Pasifika and Lived Experience Advisory teams, Te Whatu Ora, NGO Mind & Body, and Workwise.
Peer Support: Partnerships and work outside MHAIDS
Effectively and sustainably embedding peer support takes specialist knowledge and education, for both peer support workers and clinical teams. Find out how the Peer Support project team is using partnerships to build consistent understanding in clinical and support teams. Find out more.
While work is taking place to embed peer support into MHAIDS teams, there is also a focus on increasing peer support in the community. Learn more about how a rōpū of lived experience, Māori, Pacific, Disability and MHAIDS advisors makes decisions about what should happen in their area to understand, strengthen and grow peer support.
Te Awakairangi update
Exciting progress is happening in the Te Awakairangi workstream as it moves closer to developing a model of service delivery for future Māori mental health and addiction services.
Governance and expert groups are being formed to support and guide the workstream, including representation from Mana Whenua, MHAIDS, kaupapa Māori mental health kaimahi, community representatives, and Lived Experience whānau. The first meetings of these groups will take place in October.
It is encouraging to see the ongoing level of support from the district, community and key stakeholders. The project group has recently strengthened connections with Te Aka Whaiora, a key contact, as work to realise the vision begins to take shape.
For those of you who participated in the Matariki Wānanga, the report made by the facilitator will guide the expert advisory group to ensure the community voice is prioritised, as they come together in early November to develop the service delivery model.
To ensure the voice of tāngata whaiora is included, in the next few weeks some MHAIDS teams will be asked to work alongside Māori tāngata whaiora and their whānau to fill out a short survey. This will ask about experiences of MHAIDS services, and aspirations for future Māori mental health services in the Hutt Valley.
