Te Whatu Ora had hoped the crisis relief service would be up and running before Christmas.
However, Te Whatu Ora’s executive director of mental health, addictions and intellectual disabilities for the South Toni Gutschlag said there had been setbacks.
“Despite our best efforts to get the service up and running before Christmas, unfortunately, like everyone else, we have been hit by illness and staffing issues which have delayed us by a few weeks.
“We are committed to getting this support service right for customers, providers and referrers. The implementation is complex and requires the development of processes and protocols, requiring teamwork and time. We wish everyone involved a well-deserved holiday over Christmas and, for those who have been ill, a speedy recovery.
“Strong relationships and a shared care pathway for crisis intervention support will be key to the success of the service.
“A lot of work has been done in the background to this end. Te Whatu Ora’s crisis response team and our contracted provider Central Lakes Family Services will be working closely together over the coming weeks to integrate their crisis intervention approaches.”
Mental health in the area has been under pressure due to the pandemic, with one in five Queenstown Lakes residents rating their mental health as poor or very poor in the most recent quality of life survey.
An update on the launch of the service would be given next month.
However, it was unclear when it would launch as Te Whatu Ora planned to visit GP clinics in the region in February to provide an update on the service and finalize next steps before the system is rolled out to all general practitioners is being rolled out.
In the second phase of the launch of the service, GPs can make referrals.