Media Release - 02/06/10

Community Agencies Selected to Support Mental Health Consumers

These services were previously provided by CDHB’s Specialist Mental Health Services.

“The change has been made to provide a better service to mental health consumers and free up specialist hospital staff and facilities to focus on the care and treatment of patients,” CDHB Chief Executive David Meates said.

“Community agencies are best placed to provide community services and I am confident that Comcare and Step Ahead will provide a superb service. This type of change is essential if we are to create a sustainable health system in which the right services are provided to the right people in the right places,” he said.

Comcare Trust and Step Ahead Trust are well known local providers of Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drug services, with each having more than 20 years experience in these areas.

Their selection to run employment and activity services comes after a Request for Proposal process in which they presented a joint proposal. Their new partnership will see Comcare provide education, vocation and training services. Step Ahead will offer activity day programmes and peer support services through a range of options including group based and one to one support from staff, tutors and peer supporters.

SMHS Family Advisor Melissa McCreanor said, “Comcare and Step Ahead have a long history of providing a wide variety of services to help people with their recovery. Some people will be fearful about changing from the old system but knowing what these two agencies have individually delivered in the past I am very excited about what together they will be able to offer consumers and their families.”

CDHB’s Specialist Mental Health Services, Comcare Trust and Step Ahead Trust will be working together to ensure a smooth transition for people who have been using the existing service and their families. The new services are expected to be up and running by 1 September.