Mental health and addiction bed modelling

The problem

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora identified the need for a consistent and robust approach to planning and organising mental health and addiction services across the country. The existing system, characterised by variations in bed capacity and service delivery among different regions, posed challenges for ensuring equitable access to care. There was a critical need to model current and future inpatient bed capacity requirements for acute mental health, forensic mental health, and forensic intellectual disability services to support strategic decision-making and resource allocation.

Our approach

Synergia was commissioned to address this issue by developing an evidence-based bed capacity modelling tool.

The approach included:

Conducting a comprehensive stocktake of current bed capacity across the country, validating data with stakeholders to establish a reliable baseline.

Creating a flexible modelling tool that allows stakeholders to input various parameters and test different scenarios, such as changes in population needs, admission rates, and length of stay.

Engaging with multiple stakeholders to gather insights and ensure the model reflected the unique needs and challenges of different regions.

Using the model to project future bed capacity requirements under different scenarios, helping to identify gaps in current capacity and plan for future needs.

Impacts

Data-driven decision-making: The modelling tool provided Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora with a robust framework for understanding current and future bed capacity needs, allowing for informed decisions about resource allocation.
Equitable service delivery: By highlighting regional disparities and modelling future requirements, the tool supports efforts to ensure that mental health and addiction services are distributed more equitably across New Zealand.
Strategic planning: The ability to test various scenarios enabled Health New Zealand to plan for future infrastructure needs, including potential investments in facility upgrades and new service models.
Adaptability: The flexibility of the modelling tool allows it to be updated as new data becomes available, ensuring that Health New Zealand can continuously refine its approach to mental health and addiction service planning.

This case study illustrates how Synergia’s expertise in data modelling and stakeholder engagement provided Health New Zealand with the tools needed to plan and manage mental health and addiction services more effectively.