Waiorua: Mental health facility opens in Hastings to ease pressure on emergency departments

A new mental health crisis respite facility, Waiorua, has opened in Hastings. Inset, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd attended the opening.

A mental health crisis respite facility has officially opened in Hastings, aiming to ease the pressure on emergency departments in the region.

The high number of patients absconding from overwhelmed EDs across the country hit the headlines this week, and Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd said the new service would help address this issue in Hawke’s Bay.

“Having a respite care ... helps our frontline and our hospitals ... but it also provides the necessary support that we need to wrap around people that are struggling with mental health and addiction.”

The project, Waiorua – Crisis Respite, was started under the Labour Government.

“It happened under our Government ... it certainly takes some drive and action to deliver and it’s fantastic that we’ve got a really good outcome today,” Wedd said.

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey, who attended the opening, said the facility was designed to provide a safe, short-term alternative for adults in crisis who would otherwise end up in the ED or face hospitalisation.

“Not everyone in distress and crisis has a mental health condition, and we want to create community services where people feel like they can go along and get timely access to support in their community.”

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey at the opening of Waiorua in Hawke's Bay. Photo / Rafaella Melo

The facility was built through a partnership involving Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, Health New Zealand, the New Zealand Police, and the Ministry of Social Development, with funding contributions from each.

“It shows there is no singular reason that people get into crisis, and we need multi-agency and department teams coming together to support individuals in a time that is quite specific to them,” Doocey said.

Catherine Wedd and Matt Doocey with the multidisciplinary team who will staff Waiorua. Photo / Rafaella Melo

Waiorua, in a repurposed building near the hospital campus, will be open from 7am on Monday, June 2.

It is staffed by a multidisciplinary team and offers six new unplanned crisis respite beds as alternatives to ED or mental health inpatient units.

“One of the biggest barriers to timely care is workforce ... that’s why we published New Zealand’s first ever workforce plan,” Doocey said.

“We are going to grow the number of professionals working in mental health and addiction ... and we’ve committed to training 500 a year.”