Health New Zealand

Peer Support Services in Ōtepoti-Dunedin ED

Health New Zealand (Health NZ) | Te Whatu Ora is seeking proposals from Locally based providers who have significant experience in the delivery of Mental Health & Addiction (MH&A) peer support and have mature organisational structures and systems to support that workforce. The Provider will partner with regional mental health and addiction teams and Emergency Department (ED) staff to deliver a mental health and addiction peer support specialist service in the Te Waipounamu, Ōtepoti-Dunedin ED as part of a service development initiative.

Key deliverables

* Provide non-clinical FTE (Peer Support Specialists) within each of the EDs to support service delivery on an ongoing basis and improve health and wellbeing outcomes for people and whānau presenting to ED with mental health and addiction related needs.

* Continue the development of mature and robust peer workforce support structures, leadership and staff, working within an established peer community of practice.

* Recruit, support, and develop competent mental health and addiction peer staff who can respond appropriately to tāngata whaiora in an ED setting.

* Partner with hospital mental health and addiction (MHA) services in the implementation and development of the Peers in ED initiative - contributing to a service that will remove exclusions and barriers to support for those people and their whānau in distress presenting at our ED.

* Proactively collaborate with other stakeholders involved in the “Peers in ED” service to provide a person and whānau-centred service in ED.

* Partner in the development of protocols that broaden and embed peer workforce in and across multiple settings while maintaining strong connections to wider MH&A peer communities of practice.

* Actively participate in the ongoing review and evaluation activities to improve the peer support service in ED throughout the initiative.

Department/Business Unit: Comissioning