New After-Hours Mental Health Service Starts in Wakatipu
Posted on: Thursday, 19 January 2006, 18:00 CST
By FEA, Sue
QUEENSTOWN -- An extended after-hours mental health service began in the Wakatipu Basin yesterday, enabling faster emergency response times in Queenstown.
The Wakatipu Community Mental Health team started its new after- hours initial assessment service from 5pm yesterday, in conjunction with the Invercargill-based Southland Mental Health Emergency Team (SMHET) and on-call psychiatrist.
Southland District Health Board acting clinical director of mental health Dr Heather McPherson said a Wakatipu on-call staff member would now be available 365 days a year, during weekdays from 5pm until midnight and weekends and public holidays from 8.30am until midnight.
They would make initial assessments of mental health call-out cases and in conjunction with the Invercargill team would decide the best course of action.
People experiencing a mental health crisis should continue to call the emergency team, free phone on 0800 467 846.
The team continued to hold overall responsibility, Dr McPherson said.
The new system would ensure a faster response to mental health emergencies and meant the Southland emergency team would not have to travel for two hours to Queenstown unnecessarily.
Just one member of the Queenstown team would be on call and would only respond to emergencies at the Queenstown Police Station initially.
The Lakes District Hospital was likely to be confirmed as another safe venue within the next month, Dr McPherson said. Initially there would be gaps in the locally-based service provided until the workers' union and the Southland District Health Board had resolved some outstanding employment issues.
Some members of the Queenstown team were unhappy about the changes and uncomfortable about the prospect of working on their own, she said.
However, that was why initial assessments would be done within the public safety of the Queenstown police station. Once the system had been approved by nursing and medical staff, emergency cases could also be assessed at the hospital accident and emergency department, she said.
Concerns from members of the New Zealand Nursing Organisation had largely been resolved but mental health workers represented by the Public Service Association would not be participating in the new service until their concerns had been resolved.
The SMHET received approximately three Wakatipu crisis call-outs each month. During the 2005/06 seasonal period, just one call was received.
Source: Southland Times, The
Related Articles
- Major Stakeholders in Health Reform Debate Call for Improvements in Scoring of Congressional Health Care Proposals
- Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority of Victoria, Australia Renews Contract for Intergraph(R) Public Safety Technologies
- AIM Health Group Inc. and Med-Emerg International Inc. Announce Completion of Previously Disclosed Merger Transaction
- UnitedHealthcare's PlanBien(SM) Combines Health Plan Coverage With Bilingual Support Services for Businesses With Spanish-Speaking Employees in Texas
- Valley Health Team Receives $2.3 Million From UnitedHealth
- The Valley Health Team Receives $2,325,000 Investment From UnitedHealth Group to Enhance Access to Health Care Services in California
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Indicates Intent to Extend New York City - Rikers Island Contract Through December 31, 2010
- Police Seek Expanded Help From Mental Health Units: Officers Call in Professionals to Assist With Troubled Suspects
- SSM Health Care Names Emergency Services Director of St. Charles, Wentzville Hospitals
- Health Team to Offer Male Advice
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds