Improving Southern mental health together
Change has been underway to bring mental health and wellbeing care closer to home, and make it easier to access for everyone in the Southern region.
Time for Change – Te Hurihanga is a transformational programme that has led change in the way new mental health and addiction services are delivered in Te Waipounamu.
Through the Time for Change – Te Hurihanga Programme, Te Whatu Ora Southern has embarked on a focused and transparent journey towards a more equitable, inclusive and people-focused mental health and addiction system that supports people to be well in their community.
Read the March 2024 update here.
Moving into the next phase of Time for Change – Te Hurihanga
Phase One is now reaching its planned end as the work of this phase becomes embedded in the day-to-day business of Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora, and preparations for the next phase are now well underway.
The next phase of Time for Change - Te Hurihanga will build on the successes and learnings of the first phase.
Led by Commissioning together with Hospital and Specialist Services
The programme management, planning and project management of improvements to the Southern mental health and addiction services has now evolved into the structure of the new health system.
Time for Change - Te Hurihanga is now led by the senior management in Commissioning together with Hospital and Specialist Services, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. They work closely with national and regional teams, and with the Iwi Māori Partnership Boards. The vision and foundation for making changes remain:
- connections and involvement of the community
- inclusion of people with lived experience
- modelling equity first throughout.
A pro-active partnership
The proactive partnership between Hospital and Specialist Services and Commissioning will ensure there is integration across the whole of the system.
The Mental Health, Addictions, and Intellectual Disability Services (Hospital and Specialist Services) will:
- Dedicate project resource to support implementation of the new services.
- Build strong and close relationships with their new service partners.
- Support mutual development of Hospital and Specialist Services and Non-Governmental Organisations as part of an integrated, whole-of-system approach to care.
Read more in the FAQs here.
