Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Services

Mental health and alcohol and drug services
Waitemata District Health Board’s Mental Health Services are comprised of:

District mental health services
Maori mental health, and alcohol and drug services
Pacific mental health, and alcohol and drug services
Regional forensic psychiatry services
Regional work rehabilitation service
Community Alcohol and Drug Services (CADS), Auckland.

District mental health services
Approximately 550 staff deliver district mental health services across the following areas -

Child, youth and family services:

Child, adolescent and youth community mental health services, with inpatient care provided by Starship Children’s Hospital
An Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) team
Intensive clinical support services: regional youth community team
A maternal mental health community team.

Mental health services for older adults

A North and West community team
The Kingsley Mortimer Unit (a 17-bed inpatient unit) located in ward 12 at North Shore Hospital
Glenburn Hospital – a 24-bed rehabilitation facility which provides longer term care with Waitemata DHB specialist input.

Adult mental health services

Mental health services for adults (20-65) are provided in each of the three main Waitemata DHB areas – ie: Waitakere City, North Shore City and Rodney.
Five teams (two in Waitakere City, two in North Shore City and one in Rodney) provide community-based care, including the following services:
- Emergency/crisis assessment 24-hours, seven days via community mental health team crisis staff and the Emergency Care Centres (ECCs) at Waitakere and North Shore Hospitals
- Alternatives to admission (crisis respite care and home-based crisis support and treatment)
A newly built 32-bed inpatient facility (Waiatarau) is located on the Waitakere Hospital site and a 39-bed inpatient facility (Taharoto) is located on the North Shore Hospital site
Staff can also facilitate access to a range of accommodation, packages of care, specialist rehabilitation and extended care residential facilities.

Needs assessment and service co-ordination
This service links individuals with the appropriate support.

Whitiki Maurea Maori Mental Health Service (MMHS)
Whitiki Maurea is Waitemata DHB’s MMHS. It consists of two teams:

MOKO: Maori Mental Health Team - Based on the NorthShore and in WaitakereCity, MOKO provides both cultural and clinical services to Maori service users living in the Waitemata DHB area. It also works with Pacific Mental Health Services and District Mental Health Services (see above) to ensure that Maori Tangata Whaiora needs are met. Access to MOKO is via direct referral or via other Waitemata DHB mental health services
Te Atea Marino: Maori Alcohol and Drug Regional Team - The Te Atea Marino team provides a range of services to Maori Tangata Whaiora and their whanau throughout the Auckland metropolitan area. Te Atea Marino also works alongside Community Alcohol and Drug Services (CADS) Auckland, to ensure that Maori Tangata Whaiora needs are met. Access to Te Atea Marino is via direct referral or via CADS teams.

Whitiki Maurea is committed to the kaupapa of healing for Maori by weaving together Maori healing practices and Western clinical practice, thereby providing Maori Tangata Whaiora and their whanau with the best possible health outcomes. Whanau centred therapy is the driving force for Whitiki Maurea and a marae focused, wairua-driven service is the ultimate objective. The service is guided by the following documents:

Te Pu O Te Wai Awhina – Maori health strategy (Waitemata DHB)
Te Puawaitanga – Maori mental health national strategic framework (Ministry of Health, 2002
Korowai Oranga (Ministry of Health).

Pacific mental health and alcohol and drug services
Isa Lei - Isa Lei supports the needs of pacific peoples with mental health issues and their families. The service provides a Pacific biospsychosocial approach (it considers biological, psychological and social factors when treating individuals). Isa Lei works collaboratively with Waitemata DHB’s MMHS and District Mental Health Services to ensure Pacific peoples’ needs are met.

Tupu (Pacific alcohol and drug regional team) - Tupu supports Pacific people with complex alcohol and other drug issues and their families. It also provides Gambling Intervention Services for Pacific peoples. Tupu provides a biospsychosocial approach (it considers biological, psychological and social factors when treating individuals) and works collaboratively with Community and Drug Services Auckland (CADS).

Mason Clinic - Regional forensic psychiatry services
Waitemata DHB provides the following regional forensic psychiatry services via the Mason Clinic located in Carrington Road, Pt Chevalier:

Inpatient services - These services include the 12-bed Pohutukawa Unit (an intellectual disability unit) and a ten-bed Kaupapa Maori secure rehabilitation unit as well as open, minimum and medium secure and rehabilitation units. A cultural centre – Te Miro – also exists for cultural activities.
Court liaison team - The primary functions of this team are to provide psychiatric assessment and informal advice to the Court on the appropriateness of formal psychiatric reports, any immediate clinical needs and/or diversion to Mental Health Services.
Forensic prison team - This team provides secondary clinical services in prisons. The team assess inmates referred to them by prison primary health services and facilitates the transfer of mentally unwell inmates to hospital for care and treatment. The team also manages the care for inmates should they return to prison following hospital admission.
Community forensic services - The community forensic team provides clinical care for clients transitioning from forensic inpatient care to community living. An intellectually disabled offender team also exists to assist with the care and community supervision of intellectually disabled persons with problems of offending.

For further information about the clinic and the services they offer, visit the Mason Clinic section of our website.

Regional work rehabilitation service
This service is for people living in the Waitemata and Auckland DHB areas who, as part of their recovery plan, require specialised rehabilitation interventions to facilitate their work, career and educational pathways. It includes work assessment and experience, career counselling, consumer-run businesses, job clubs, supported employment and education.

Community alcohol and drug services (CADS), Auckland
CADS include a ten-bed inpatient detoxification unit, community and home detoxification, a pregnancy and parental service, a methadone programme, outpatient alcohol and drug services, a community intervention and training team, a youth team ("Altered High") and a dual diagnosis service for people with a substance abuse issue and a mental health issue. For more information about CADS, visit their website, or phone AK 845 1818.