The new unit, E Tū Wairua Hinengaro, was opened last Friday at a ceremony closed to the public in Point Chevalier.
The new unit, E Tū Wairua Hinengaro, was opened last Friday at a ceremony closed to the public in Point Chevalier.
Health NZ is rejecting claims of unsafe staffing levels at a new Auckland forensic facility that looks after criminals needing psychiatric help.
Auckland’s Mason Clinic is located in Point Chevalier and securely looks after people with serious mental health problems or disabilities who have committed or been charged withserious crimes. It is the country’s largest forensic psychiatric service.
Last Friday, the new $162m E Tū Wairua Hinengaro unit, a multi-storey building with a 60-bed capacity, was opened by Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey.
The new facility is set to replace the current ageing units that have air quality and weather-tightness issues, and will be significantly larger with 10,000sq m of floor space and secure courtyards.
Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said in mid-December that Health NZ had approved funding for an additional 57 FTE roles to ensure the new unit was fully staffed; however, recruitment was stalled.
Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey at the opening ceremony for the new unit at the Mason Clinic last Friday.
Fitzsimons said Health NZ delayed recruitment for these critical roles and was now in a position where it was looking for staff at “the very last moment”.
In response to questions from the Weekend Herald, HNZ group director of operations Waitematā Brad Healey said Health NZ was “actively recruiting” to fill the additional 57 roles and interviews were underway.
“Any suggestion E Tū Wairua Hinengaro will operate understaffed is incorrect,” Healey said.
He said there was time to complete the recruitment of the new staff as the transition of all patients would be carried out over a period of several months.
The first patients will begin being moved across from the old facility in February.
“Roles have been advertised, there has been a good response from candidates, shortlisting has been completed and interviews are underway,” Healey said.
Fitzsimons said staff at the Mason Clinic were extremely worried about the large number of vacancies in the new facility, and the numbers of new staff they would have to train up while adjusting themselves to the new facility.
“This new facility needed to be fully staffed from day one to perform its critical function,” she said.
“This is not only embarrassing for a government that made rebuilding the mental health system a top priority, but it’s irresponsible at a time when assaults on mental health workers are rising.”
Healey said the staged opening of the unit had always been planned to ensure a smooth transition.
“There was never an intention to have patients from the current units transferring all at once,” he said.
Fitzsimons said the new facilities required more staff due to patients having their own bathrooms and one of the wards, the Kauri unit, being reclassified as high security.
“Staff are beyond burnt out. Instances of assaults on staff from patients are all too common,” she said.
“The final result is that the people at the Mason Clinic aren’t getting the care they need as part of their rehabilitation.”
The Mason Clinic was set up following an inquiry into the care of mentally ill offenders led by Judge Ken Mason in 1988. The historic report found forensic psychiatry in New Zealand was “poorly disciplined, under-funded and under-staffed”.
Mental Health & Addictions Service Enhancement national director Phil Grady said the new facility would result in better outcomes for patients and a better working environment for the dedicated forensic psychiatry teams.
“This facility represents the latest chapter in a long and important story, the evolution of the Mason Clinic and of forensic mental healthcare in New Zealand,” he said.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
