Celebrating success, sustaining change

The reduction and elimination of restrictive practices continues to be a priority for New Zealand mental health services. Over the last 20 years, the movement towards recovery and people centered care in service planning and delivery in New Zealand has supported the implementation of least restrictive practice. (Ministry of Health 2018). In He Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction, a transformative approach to mental health and addiction service delivery, planning and design is called for, modelled within a wellbeing framework (Ministry of Health 2019).

Several people, roles and teams across the motu have been instrumental in supporting least restrictive practice within adult mental health inpatient services. Their commitment to best practice has been pivotal in reducing seclusion and restrictive practices.

In this video, filmed at Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua MidCentral , we hear from kaimahi as they share their experiences using the Six Core Strategies© service review tool to reduce and work toward eliminating the use of seclusion in mental health care. These strategies focus on promoting a safer, more supportive environment for tāngata whai ora by reducing restrictive practices and building a culture that is mana enhancing, trauma informed, and person centred. We explore the journey of creating and sustaining change and the importance of eliminating restrictive practices in mental health services across New Zealand.