A patient at an Auckland mental health programme that's closing its doors next month says she's feeling anxious about her uncertain future.
Rauaroha Segar House, a publicly funded intensive service for people who have long-standing or chronic problems, ceases on September 19.
Heloise Cantin-Gilmore said her past four months on the programme were life-changing and there were no other realistic treatment options available to her.
News of the closure, delivered in mid-July, hit hard.
"The effect this is having on me is having a great sense of anxiety, fear, grief, loss - mostly around whether I'm going to be alone again, essentially, dealing with my mental health issues," she said.
"There's just a great sense of loss happening at Segar House."
There are nine patients and eight staff working at the inner-city service, which involves group and individual therapy for people who haven't worked out in other programmes.
Health NZ said patient numbers are too low and clinicians would be better utilised elsewhere.
There are no other similar programmes in the North Island and Cantin-Gilmore said patients were told they could return to other community mental health services, or look further afield where there were similar programmes.
"They said the other option was that we move to Dunedin, which isn't really a true option for any of us," she said.
"All of our livelihoods are here. Most of us have jobs. Our families are here. To offer to move to Dunedin as a substitute for a service we're getting here in Auckland is just kind of ridiculous, frankly."
She didn't know where she'd go next.
"When they [Health NZ] told us that it was closing, they said that they would be in contact with us to arrange a meeting time with us, individually, to come up with some sort of plan about whether we could continue in the community mental health services or whether we'd go a different route," she said.
"None of us have heard from them since."
Cantin-Gilmore said there was an enormous sense of sadness.
"Not only is there grief for me losing access to the programme, there's grief for potential future patients who could have access the programme, but also the clinicians themselves," Cantin-Gilmore said.
"They're losing their jobs. They're losing their community."
Her father, Gus Gilmore, said the clinical team was supportive, but the uncertainty was taking a toll on his daughter.
"It's been terrible. Heloise was really improving since she started the programme four months ago," he said.
"We hadn't seen that type of improvement in her general and mental health. Since [the closure was confirmed] she has gone backwards."
Health NZ acknowledges change
Health NZ group director of operations for Auckland Dr Michael Shepherd said individual transition plans for patients were getting worked through.
"Patients will be able to access individual therapy, multi-disciplinary team reviews, key worker support and group work," Shepherd said.
"There will be a different group of professionals involved in their care and differences in the types of group therapy available. The location for their individual and group therapy will change."
Health NZ was working with staff in redeployment options.
Labour's mental health spokeswoman Ingrid Leary is critical of government ministers for not intervening to stop the closure.
She said it was a political decision as officials looked to save money.
"This is specialised treatment and from the people I've spoken to, the families and the patients, they cannot access the level of care they desperately need and they're very worried about that."
Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said the closure decision was made by Health NZ.
He said he spoke to its chief executive Dale Bramley and had assurance each patient would have a transition plan and their needs would continue to be met.
