Te Whare Oranga Tangata o Whakaue Mental Health Inpatient Unit
The inpatient unit provides assessment and acute care.
It comprises of 12 single rooms (two with en-suite), a 2 bedroom with en-suite wing for the older person service and 2 intensive care rooms.
There is also a lounge, a kitchen/dining room, family, whanau room and an art room.
There is an overnight stay facility for whānau from out of town within the hospital grounds. Please ask a staff member for further details.
It is an open ward; however there are times that the ward may be locked. When the doors are locked and you wish to leave, please talk to the staff.
Admission procedure
When you arrive at the unit you will be met by staff who will explain the admission process to you.
They will help you identify the reasons for your admission. If you have whānau with you they may be included in the discussions if you wish. It is your choice.
You will be given a tour of the unit and introduced to key staff, other patients and given basic information about the ward routine and the activity programme.
You will be shown to your room. Generally you will stay in the same room for your whole admission but sometimes we may ask you to move to another room if the need arises.
As part of admission staff will ask patients if their bags can be searched to check for any items that pose a risk.
This includes any medications that have been brought from home.
For safety reasons, patients are not permitted to carry lighters and matches. They will be kept with their personal property and will be returned on discharge.
Within the first 24 hours you will be invited to have a full physical examination which may include some diagnostic tests, e.g. blood and urine tests, blood pressure.
This is to ensure that you have no physical illness that may impact on your mental wellbeing.
Please Note: It is extremely important that you give staff any medication that you or your whānau have brought from home, this includes both prescribed and over the counter medication.