Middlemore New Mental Health Unit

For international donations, please visit our website.

Recently there has been a significant amount of talk in the media regarding Mental Health in New Zealand and how District Health Boards care for people who experience mental illness. We here at Counties Manukau Health have been acutely aware of this for some time and as a result, we are in the process of building a brand new facility onsite at Middlemore Hospital to ensure those who are mentally unwell receive the best, evidence-based therapeutic care and environment possible.

Those who suffer a mental health crisis experience symptoms which are frightening, confusing and disorienting and can make admission to hospital – a new environment – a challenging event in their lives and that of their families lives. Stage one of this build is currently underway and is set to be completed in December 2017. Work on stage two will begin immediately after, with that being due to be completed in December 2018. Our new Mental Health Inpatient Unit will have 76 beds which represent a much-needed growth in capacity.

Within our new build, each patient will have their own spacious room and en-suite. An important feature is that every patient bedroom is situated on the edge of a large internal courtyard providing immediate visibility to the outdoor environment while also ensuring a degree of privacy. Gardens are recognised as being core to the healing process of someone who is mentally unwell. This layout is an improved option for people than our existing hospital environment, where rooms are not only often shared but also look out onto a hallway and another bedroom. Our new layout is central to ensuring each patient has a feeling of safety and privacy. This is especially important for people who feel that admission itself is frightening.

This new build at Middlemore Hospital is a $56 million project and the first of its kind in New Zealand. The Middlemore Foundation’s goal is to enhance this facility to ensure the best environment possible is provided for those who are mentally unwell. This is where we are hoping you will kindly step in and assist us with a monetary donation. Within the new Mental Health Unit, it will be recognised that the New Zealand public made it possible to enhance this build.

If you are an international donor, please visit our website to support this cause.