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Mental Health and Addictions

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About us

Mental Health and Addictions

Mental Health & Addictions provides mental health and addictions services to the population of the Waikato District Health Board and regional forensic services to the Waikato, Lakes, Taranaki and Bay of Plenty district health boards.

Mental health services are delivered throughout the Waikato DHB’s district by geographical sectors (North Central, North Rural, South Central and South Rural).

Health professionals: Summary of service contact details and referral addresses.

The Waikato DHB Mental Health & Addictions Strategy 2016 – 2021 [PDF, 921 KB] is strongly aligned to the overall Waikato DHB Strategy and its values.

Adult Mental Health and Addictions

Specialty mental health services

As stated in our strategy, the goals of Waikato DHB Mental Health & Addictions are

  1. We provide culturally responsive services with a specific focus on improving health outcomes for Māori.
  2. We provide an effective and safe service that people and their loved ones trust.
  3. The service user is at the centre of their care.
  4. Our service will ensure a positive, healthy work environment that nurtures skills, knowledge and a caring attitude.
  5. As a partner in a holistic system of care, remove barriers to the care and support of individuals, whānau and the community. 

Waikato DHB’s Mental Health & Addictions service has embarked on a Creating our Futures programme which will lead to a service strategy for the next five years.

This will help plan and organise facilities and develop models of care.

It includes a number of workstreams and projects, as well as wide consultation of service providers and users, staff, and community.

All of these activities will prepare us well for the future so that

  • service users and their whānau will have an improved and more streamlined service experience – one care plan where they join up as if a single service. Consumers will know where to go, what their care will involve, and who will be looking after them.
  • staff will have good support, systems and processes in place to help them do their job better,
  • and we will see ourselves as one part of a much wider community supporting the wellbeing of Waikato.

Key personnel

Vicki Aitken
Services Director for Mental Health and Addictions Services

Dr Rees Tapsell 
Director of Clinical Services

Location

Mental health services are delivered throughout the Waikato DHB’s district by geographical sectors (North Central, North Rural, South Central and South Rural).

Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre is a mental health facility located on Waiora Waikato Hospital Campus, Hamilton.