Over the last few years, MHAIDS has moved from a model in which all referrals were managed by a centralised intake and triage team, to one in which they are managed by intake clinicians based within the localities.
“This has allowed intake clinicians to become familiar with local referrers and build relationships in that community, particularly with local GPs who most often refer to our community teams,” says Nick Wastney, Referral Co-ordinator for MHAIDS Operations Centre, After hours, District and Hospital Services.
“This ‘locality model’ also allows intake clinicians to gain a deeper understanding about the unique needs of the community they are working in.”
While intake clinicians work in separate localities, a team spirit is fostered through monthly video meetings to support one another, troubleshoot issues, and achieve consistency in approaches. Regular forums also take place at which intake clinicians receive training on topics they have identified as useful.
Work has also taken place to review and make improvements to MHAIDS’ intake and assessment policies and procedures. These needed updating to not only reflect the new service’s Model of Care, but also incorporate improvements made in the technological space. While this work took a specific focus on adult community teams to align with the service’s Model of Care, the scope was expanded to include other sectors.
Intake staff worked in partnership with colleagues from the Change Programme, Quality and Business Services teams, and drew on the expertise from our Equity and Lived Experience Teams, to achieve this.
“The new policies and procedures are now more person-directed and trauma-informed and take a focus on finding the best service for any given person,” says Nick.
Other changes include establishing a quality improvement framework for managing referrals to our services, monitoring wait times and working with intake and assessment clinicians to ensure that services’ approach are the same across the district.
At the same time, technical improvements led by the MHAIDS Business Systems team have streamlined communication and automation processes, including those with Whakarongorau Aotearoa, which provides 24/7 crisis phone services on MHAIDS’ behalf.
Results of the work on intake and assessment are positive. Despite a 25% increase in referrals from the previous year, in July 2025 MHAIDS general adult community mental health teams saw 75% of people face-to-face within three weeks, compared to 41% in July 2024. 100% of people referred to our service were seen within eight weeks, compared to 71% the year before.
“There has been significant positive change in the intake space,” says Nick. “Referrals are now being processed and managed in a more efficient way, meaning tāngata whaiora are seen more quickly.
“At the same time, regular check-ins and surveys with intake clinician staff show they feel happier about their work, clearer about processes, and more supported in their roles.”
