Mental health demand peaks

Demand on Manawatu’s mental health crisis services is the highest that it’s ever been, according to Midcentral District Health Board’s chief executive.

The increase in demand on the service was noted by DHB chief Kathryn Cook at a meeting in Horowhenua on Tuesday.

The district health board’s acute mental health service’s client numbers have doubled during the past 18 months, according to mental health and addiction services director Chris Nolan.

The demand created a challenge to the services and Midcentral was working in partnership with other organisations to meet the need, Nolan said in a statement.

Manawatu’s increases were part of a national trend, he said.

The spike in demand coincided with the DHB changing its model of care to be 24 hours, seven days a week, he said.

Five full-time equivalent clinical roles were also added to the acute team, as well as a registrar and consultant psychiatrist.

Demand had also increased in Horowhenua and the DHB had increased mental health team resources in the area, and in Tararua, to try to meet population needs.

At the DHB meeting in Horowhenua, members of the public raised concerns about the lack of access communities had to mental health crisis services.

Sally Cruse, from Shannon’s Health Committee, said she worked in a support role and found it frustrating when trying to help people who really needed crisis support but could not access it.

‘‘We used to always be able to get the crisis team out to help and you can’t do that now unless you call the police first. And that isn’t the best way to deal with people with problems in mental health.’’

She said there was more Midcentral could do, but understood it had restraints.

‘‘We all know that the things that are not happening are because we haven’t got the dollars.’’

Cook said she suspected the access issue raised by Cruse was due to the level of demand the service was under.

‘‘[Demand] has been incredibly high, particularly of recent months. It’s the highest that it’s ever been.’’

Cook said drug and alcohol addiction was one consistent area of concern across the Midcentral district.

‘‘What we are trying to do is ensure that people can access those services without the need to have police presence.’’

Prevention, promotion and supporting primary care practitioners was an area of focus, as well as community engagement, she said.

‘‘There’s a really big conversation but there’s also more that we need to do as a district health board, I agree.’’

Midcentral had been holding a series of public forums and hui on the topic of mental health.

A plan was in place with the Primary Health Organisation to strengthen the community-based mental health services, and Midcentral intended to invest more in support for local community teams, she said.