New Mason Clinic building a major investment for mental health

To meet growing demand for specialist mental health services in the Northern Region, a new $22 million, 15-bed medium secure unit is expected to open at the Mason Clinic in late 2020.

Work is now underway on the new-and-improved unit named E Tū Tanekaha (stand strong Tanekaha), which will replace a smaller 10-bed unit that was no longer in use due to weather tightness issues and was demolished earlier this year.

The new unit has been designed to flexibly accommodate different patient populations requiring secure care in a clinical and culturally appropriate environment.

“We have one of the fastest-growing populations of any DHB in the country and provide specialist mental health services at Mason Clinic for the entire Northern Region,” Waitematā DHB CEO Dr Dale Bramley says.

“This development will enable us to meet the ever-growing demand for those services on this site in a contemporary and culturally informed way.”

The work now underway represents part of a planned renaissance of the entire site, with the $22 million building being part of an extensive programme of facility upgrades.

Other work completed at the Mason Clinic site over the last two years includes the opening of the state-of-the-art Te Aka facility in 2017, which was designed to support a kaupapa Māori approach to clinical care.

“Other buildings at the site that have some weather tightness issues will be systematically replaced and upgraded with contemporary facilities in the coming years as funding becomes available. We are grateful to the Government for the funding that has enabled this new building to now occur,” says Dr Bramley.

Health Minister David Clark says the Government was pleased to provide additional funding for the project which would support the wellbeing of patients and better outcomes.

“No matter their circumstances, all New Zealanders in need of health services deserve humane, high-quality care in modern, well-designed facilities. The clinicians and others providing that care can do their jobs better in safe, healthy working environments.

“That’s why this Government has committed to an unprecedented but well-overdue investment programme in our hospitals and other health infrastructure, including at the Mason Clinic,” says David Clark.

Mason Clinic is operated by Waitematā DHB and serves the populations of the four Northern Region DHBs - Northland, Waitematā, Auckland and Counties Manukau.

It has 114 mental health beds and 12 forensic intellectual disability beds on its Point Chevalier campus and also provides a base for all other Auckland Regional Forensic Service operations.

The site includes medium secure, minimum secure and open units to facilitate recovery and community reintegration, with a focus on acute treatment and rehabilitation. Mental health services have been on the site since the 1870s.