9 September 2008

Pact West Coast recently won contracts for two services on the West Coast.

The first position, a consumer advisor, will begin in October, covering not just Pact, but every area of mental health on the West Coast. Pact West Coast regional manager Helen Porter says the person will work very closely with the West Coast District Health Board (WCDHB), Maori services, alcohol and drug coordinators, child and adolescent mental health services, Supporting Families, the Coast Care Trust and other non-governmental organisations.

“Even though they will come under our umbrella, because we hold the contract, they will be very much be out there,” says Helen.

Pact will supply the infrastructure and Helen will manage the role, but the person will spend a lot of time in the community, covering all the West Coast.

“They will attend every meeting that the DHB runs which has a consumer focus...Also we’ll form consumer groups and also have surveys on an annual basis with all the consumers.”

Helen says while role is new for Pact, it is not new on the West Coast - it had previously sat with the WCDHB. However, consumers decided they wanted it away from the hospital. The successful candidate for the position will:

• ensure service users’ rights are respected and upheld in the delivery of mental health and other health and social services
• ensure service users’ wishes and choices are addressed within services
• empower service users to advocate for their own needs
• ensure service users’ needs and views are reflected in planning, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of mental health services, and
• build the capacity and capability for service users to support each other.

Helen says the role is very much based around National Mental Health Service Sector Standards, which require mental health services to ensure consumers are involved in planning and implementation.

“We’re looking for somebody who can relate well to people, has experience of mental illness themselves and can really work at empowering consumers to have a strong and effective voice on local and national consumer networks.”

The person will be based in Pact West Coast office at this stage.

The second service, peer support, will not get underway until January and the 24 hours a week will be shared among three people (each working eight hours a week). Again, the roles are wider than just Pact clients and also cover the entire West Coast including Greymouth, Hokitika and Westport. Their job will be to support consumers to advocate for themselves.

“It might be that someone wants them to help write a letter or they might want them to go to Winz with them to sort out a benefit. They won’t do it for them – they will empower the person to do it themselves.”

The peer support staff will work closely with mental health services, especially with the in-patient unit.

Helen says everyone hopes the roles will have a good effect on things like discrimination.

She will be looking for people with experience of mental illness, who have preferably done the national training in peer support advocacy. They must also have good communication skills and feel comfortable dealing with outside agencies.