Sunnyside care in community may be extended

Press, 16 June 1983, Page 8

Sunnyside care in community may be extended

Plans to redevelop Sunnyside Hospital services to care for more patients in the community have taken a step forward. Health Department officials have agreed that extra Government funds might be available over a three-year period for the project. In return the North Canterbury Hospital Board would need to reduce the number of Sunnyside inpatients by about 100. The board’s medical superintendent-in-chief, Dr R. A. Fairgray, said yesterday that discussions held in Wellington last month had been informal but “most

helpful.” He expected the board would have decided within the next 10 days on an

official request to the department for the estimated $400,000 to $500,000 needed to redevelop services. The plan is to bring Sunnyside more in line with Government policy to reduce the number of longstay patients in psychiatric hospitals. Dr Fairgray told the board’s health services committee that departmental officials had agreed that the redevelopment be treated as a “research project.” “It is a step towards

solving not just a local but a national problem,” he said. Better assessment and associated services would try to reduce the number of first admissions during the three years. The board would also improve noninstitutional services so that patients could stay in the community. If it were decided that inpatient treatment gave better and cheaper care at the end of that time, the plan could be dropped without the risk of closing more wards or departments. Existing resources at Sunnyside were stretched to the

limit which meant that no extra community services could be introduced without new staff and buildings.

More psychiatrists were the key, Dr Fairgray said. The redevelopment could not even start if there was not adequate supervision of patients in the community. Changes have already been made to move hospital services into the community. During the last decade 30 homes have been arranged for former patients and the number of inpatients reduced from 1000 to 650, but that still represents 200 beds more than Government guidelines.