New guidelines to improve dementia and addiction services

Dementia sufferers and older people with mental health and addiction problems will benefit from new guidelines for treatment services says Associate Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman.

The national guidelines, released today, aim to improve access to services and provide consistency in service delivery across all District Health Boards and aged care providers.

‘’As the number of New Zealanders aged over 65 increases significantly in the next 20 years, dementia, mental health and addiction services will become even more important,’’ Dr Coleman says.

‘’Across the 20 DHBs and various aged care providers, there’s variance in the type of treatment and services provided. If someone’s receiving treatment and they move to another area, it’s better that they receive a similar type of service. Now we can look to provide more coordination across the sector.’’

One of the key areas the guidelines focus on is ensuring smooth transition between primary care providers and specialist mental health and addiction services when referring patients. Better coordination of care for people with long-term mental health problems is also addressed.

‘’By implementing a national guideline, we expect to achieve greater consistency in the quality and accessibility of these services. This will also result in greater efficiency,’’ says Dr Coleman.

The guidelines also focus on workforce development, strengthening clinical leadership and providing services based on need, not age. The launch of the guidelines follows the Budget 2011 announcement which delivers an extra $44 million in funding over four years for people living with dementia.

More information is available at www.moh.govt.nz