Waikato

Hamilton and Waikato District Council area

Adult Mental Health
193 London Street / Private Bag 3200
Hamilton 3240

Phone: 07 834 6902
Fax: 07 834 6900
Email: amhastriage@waikatodhb.health.nz

Thames, Coromandel and Hauraki

Mental Health and Addictions Service
Manaaki Centre / PO Box 707
Thames 3540

Phone: 07 868 0041
Fax: 07 868 9206
Email: ruralnorthsector@waikatodhb.health.nz

Tokoroa and Putāruru

Mental Health and Addictions Service
Tokoroa Hospital
Tokoroa 3444

Hamilton and Waikato District Council area

Te Kuuwaha o Te Wairora
Gate 10, Waikato University
135 Silverdale Road
Silverdale 3216

Phone: 07 834 6902
Phone (freephone): 0800 302 359

Greater Hamilton

Areas covered:

• Hamilton City
• Waikato District
• Matamata-Piako District
• half of Waipa District including Cambridge and surrounds.

Refer to:

Nga Ringa Awhina
Waikato Mail Centre
PO Box 1047
Hamilton 3200

Phone: 07 839 5146
Fax: 07 839 5147
Email: inward.referrals.NRA@ngaaringaawhina.org.nz

Hauraki

Areas covered:

• Thames
• Coromandel District
• Hauraki District

Refer to:

Mental Health and Addictions Service
Manaaki Centre
PO Box 707
Thames 3540

Phone: 07 868 0041
Fax: 07 868 9206
Email: icamsaccistriage@waikatodhb.health.nz

Southern

Areas covered:

• half of Waipa District including Te Awamutu and surrounds
• Ōtorohanga District
• South Waikato District
• Waitomo District
• Ruapehu District.

Refer to:

Mental Health and Addictions Service
298 Alexandra Street
Te Awamutu 3800

Phone: 07 871 3671
Fax: 07 870 4279
Email: icamhs-southcluster@waikatodhb.health.nz

This service is for patients over the age of 65 years.

Mental Health Services for Older People
214 Pembroke Street / Private Bag 3200
Hamilton 3240

Phone: 07 839 8603
Fax: 07 839 8737
Email: mhsopreferrals@waikatodhb.health.nz

Guidelines

It is expected that primary health care practitioners will have used the Map of Medicine Midland Regional Dementia Pathway prior to referring someone to the memory service.

If you are not a primary health service, we would recommend that you liaise directly with the person’s healthcare provider before pursuing a referral to our service. This is to clarify that the person does not have a pre-existing diagnosis of dementia.

Entry criteria

The memory service is for people with a primary complaint of objective or observed non-rapid progressive cognitive impairment that is unexplained by a pre-existing medical, surgical or psychiatric condition, and with a complexity that requires specialist assessment.

It can also include:

• history of head injury now presenting with progressive cognitive impairment
• culture or language is a barrier to assessment by primary care
• major psychiatric disorder — an assessment by adult mental health services may be requested prior to acceptance of the referral
• major personality change
• atypical cognitive decline
• strong family history of neurodegenerative disorder.

People need to be able to participate in the assessment.

Exclusion criteria

The memory service is not for:

• people with a confirmed intellectual disability — referrals should be made to the intellectual disability dual disorder service.
• people currently abusing alcohol or drugs without commitment to change

A referral to neurology may be more appropriate for

• younger people
• where there are new or unexplained neurological symptoms — e.g. abnormal gait or movement disorder.

Notes

'Cognitive impairment' refers to deficits in at least one of the following:

• memory
• language
• new learning
• praxis
• visuospatial skills
• executive function — e.g. judgement or decision making.

'Objective cognitive impairment' must be demonstrated by using one of the standard cognitive assessment tools listed in the Midland Regional Dementia Pathway. The memory service suggests using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

'Observed cognitive impairment' refers to an informant history of cognitive impairment — e.g. from whānau.

Referrals for the perinatal mental health service are accepted from a variety of sources including:

• self-referrals — including from whānau and friends with a person's consent
• primary healthcare providers — GPs, Plunket nurses, midwives
• secondary health providers — obstetricians, antenatal and postnatal services, Mothercraft, and the newborn unit.

All referrals to the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Waikato perinatal mental health service will be triaged by the adult mental health triage team, who will make contact with the client to complete a telephone triage assessment.

Once accepted into the service, the referral will be sent to the perinatal mental health team and allocated at the next referral meeting, where an initial appointment by one of the team will be made.

Send referrals to:

Adult mental health triage
193 London Street
Private Bag 3200
Hamilton 3240

Phone: 07 834 6902
Fax: 0800 500 105 or 07 838 3741
Email: AMHAStriage@waikatodhb.health.nz

Send referrals for kaupapa Māori maternal mental health services, for people in the Hamilton, Ngāruawāhia and Huntly area, to:

Hauora Waikato via Ngaa Ringa Awhina
PO Box 1047
Waikato Mail Centre
Hamilton 3240

Phone (freephone): 0800 999 903
Fax: 07 839 5147

Information we require when referring

When referring someone for the intellectual disability dual disorder service, we need to know:

• name
• date of birth
• NHI number
• address
• telephone number
• cultural identity
• level of intellectual disability
• contact details of whānau or caregivers.

In addition, we require a detailed outline of the specific mental health concerns that you have leading to the referral — as well as any accompanying information, such as:

• mental health history
• medical history – medical conditions and relevant investigations
• medication – current and historical.

Referrals that are accepted will have an identified co-existing intellectual disability (full scale IQ of 70 or less, which has been assessed prior to the age of 18) and mental health issue rather than a primary social, relationship or behavioural problem.

Intellectual disability dual disorder service triage questions for GPs [PDF, 103 KB]

People referred to the service who do not meet the entry criteria will be offered assistance to access appropriate alternative services.

We cannot accept people with problems related solely to:

• intellectual disability
• learning difficulties
• criminal activities, antisocial behaviours, conduct disorders
• accommodation issues.

The following services are not provided by us:

• eligibility/IQ testing
• counselling services
• needs assessment for funding of services
• behaviour management
• provision of accommodation or other support services.

Referral criteria

Referrals to the service are from 3 main areas:

Justice system (courts)

For people alleged to have offended and who are thought to have a mental illness and the court require a psychiatric report to assist them in determining sentencing issues, etc.

Corrections services (prison, community probation)

For individuals in prison, either on remand or sentenced, requiring assessment or treatment. Also for individuals leaving the prison and transitioning back to their home area and require support linkages to be in place.

General mental health services)

For people that have a mental illness and are demonstrating consistent dangerous behaviour and require a secure facility for their ongoing safe management and care. Also where appropriate, a co-working relationship between the community general mental health and forensic services is available for individuals with mental illness considered being of high risk in the community.

How to refer

General practitioner referrals in regard to forensic matters should be directed to the nearest adult mental health service for initial screening and assessment, then as necessary can be referred on to the forensic service.

If a general practitioner is asked by their local court to consider mental illness issues in relation to a psychiatric court report for an alleged offender, then we advise that they contact the forensic service for advice and consultation before recommending (in particular) a forensic inpatient referral.