Mental health unit short of beds
Beds at Wellington Hospital’s mental health unit are in such short supply, patients are having to sleep on couches.
Figures released under the Official Information Act show from the year to October 29, 2018, the 29-bed Te Whare o Matairangi Inpatient Service – previously known as Ward 27 – had an average occupancy of 31 patients.
Patients exceeded the number of beds on 274 nights, while the ward was at full capacity on 40 occasions.
A person who has used the unit’s services, and asked not to be identified, said she and another patient had to sleep on couches in the unit’s lounge on a recent stay because there were not enough beds.
‘‘The lounge was a shared area [males and females have separate sleeping areas]. If you struggle to be around men . . . it’s difficult.’’
People using the service needed help and should expect to be able to feel safe. She was aware of other occasions where people were sleeping in lounges and other ‘‘breakaway areas’’.
She was concerned that the lack of beds might be a sign the health system was not adequately equipped to deal with mental health patients.
Te Whare o Matairangi Inpatient Service assesses and provides treatment for adults with mental health concerns primarily from Wellington, Porirua and Ka¯ piti.
Capital & Coast District Health Board mental health, addictions and intellectual disability service general manager Nigel Fairley said that during periods of high occupancy, patients had been ‘‘supported in breakaway areas’’.
He was satisfied they had been cared for appropriately.
There had been greater demand for hospital-level mental health services across the country and simply increasing the number of beds was not the solution. Mental health was an issue for the entire health and social care system.
‘‘People’s needs vary considerably and the services provided should reflect a continuum of care across a variety of settings to support transition back into the community,’’ Fairley said.
‘‘The government’s inquiry into mental health and addiction is an important opportunity to understand what drives the increased demand for mental health services.’’
Te Whare o Matairangi Inpatient Service assesses and provides treatment for adults with mental health concerns primarily from Wellington, Porirua and Ka¯ piti.
Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson said adequate staffing and training across services was vital but funding also needed to emphasise wellbeing and prevention.
He said the foundation would like to see free or heavily subsidised counselling and early intervention, and more education for individuals and communities on how to identify and support those experiencing mental illness.
At Hutt Hospital’s Te Whare Ahuru Acute Inpatient Unit – which provides a similar service to Te Whare o Matairangi – patients exceeded the number of beds 100 times over the same period.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health said increasing numbers of people seeking mental health services was an international trend.
He noted the 2018 Budget had allocated $200 million to mental health services over the next four years.