Mental Health & Substance Abuse
 

 Staff Organogram
 

Brochures

Strategic Goals:

• The full implementation of the Mental Health Care Act No. 17 of 2002.
• The reintegration of Mental Health into the Primary Health Care with enhanced intersectoral collaboration to provide multidisciplinary mental health care.
• Improved infrastructure development and upgrading thus ensuring proper facilities for mental health care service delivery.
• Human resource development and mental health skills training.
• Improving quality of care and continuous evaluation and assessment of levels of care.
• Intensify programmes for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse.
• Support and strengthening of partnerships with community based organizations.

Key Result Areas:

• Facilitate the implementation of the Mental Health Care Act
• Technical support and guidance for the integration of Mental Health into the district health system
• Development of a policy for forensic psychiatric services
• The development of a seclusion room policy for all hospitals providing a mental health service.
• Develop a clinical audit system for mental health
• Improve the quality of mental health care by establishing minimum norms and standards.
• Support and strengthening of partnerships with community based organisations
• Intensify programmes for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse

• Development of strategic programmes and policies that will inform the operational activities of the Mental Health Programme.
• Provision of expert advice in the field of mental health and substance abuse.
• Engagement with other stakeholders in the field of mental health to encourage a participative framework for the development of mental health services.
• Informing Department of Health management of potential risks and threats to the effective implementation of mental health service delivery.
• Develop strategies and policies to enhance and improve mental health service delivery in KZN.
• Advise the component of health systems and policy development on any matters relating to mental health and substance abuse.
• Provide support and technical advice to the various mental health programmes within the province.
• Provide technical assistance and support for the implementation of such policies and strategies.
• Leadership in the formulation and control of strategic planning for the mental health and substance abuse component
• Ensure aligned commitment to the strategic objectives of the KZN Dept of Health
• Monitoring and evaluation of the quality and levels of services delivered as well as the financial performance and ensure that the mental health and substance abuse component displays orientation towards quality improvement, high service levels and effective financial management

• Mental Health Care Users in KZN
• Mental Health Practitioners and other Allied disciplines
• Non-governenmental Organisations in the mental health and substance sector
• Governmental stakeholders viz Social development, Education, Justice, correctional Services etc
• Academic institutions e.g. UKZN

Statistics relative to Mental Health and Substance Abuse

• 4 Specialised psychiatric hospitals in the province
• 2 long-term care and rehabilitation centres
• 50 hospitals listed to provide 72 hour assessments for mental health care users
• Provision of forensic psychiatric services in 3 psychiatric hospitals
• 2 Child and Adolescent mental health units recently developed, awaiting opening
• 4 Mental Health Review Boards
• Support and Subsidisation to 32 mental health NGO’s
• Substance abuse detoxification provided at Emergency Rooms of Regional hospitals

• Integration of mental health into primary health care is progressing
• Training of 69 PHC nurses in mental health care
• Psychiatric EDL drugs available at community/district level services
• Psychosocial rehabilitation policy finalised and in pilotting/implementation phase in Amajuba and Umkhanyakude districts. Training manual for psychosocial rehabilitation completed.
• Orientation and training workshop conducted for Mental Health Review Boards
• Umzimkhulu hospital on board and providing full spectrum of psychiatric services in Sisonke district.
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Units completed at KGV and THH; 2 Specialist Chid Psychiatrists appointed. Providing out-pt Child and adolescent service, awaiting appointment of nursing staff to officially open those units.
• Chief Specialists appointed for Area 2 and 3.
• All district hospitals providing 72 hr assessment service in accordance with MHCA no 17 of 2002
• Subsidising 32 NGO’s providing community based care, treatment and rehabilitation to MHCU’s in accordance with the Regulations of the MHCA no 17 of 2002.
• Learner suicide project, Dec 07- provided learners in distress with 24 hr access to psychological counselling via our call centre during matric results period.
• Development of a treatment guidelines and protocols manual by UKZN

• To host a Mental Health Indaba
• To develop a mental health information system- collaboration with UCT has already begun in this regard and a task team has been formed.
• Develop clinical audit system for mental health
• Upgrade infrastructure at district level for improved mental health service delivery eg proper seclusion rooms
• Get child and adolescent mental health units fully operational
• Tighten the monitoring and evaluation of subsidised NGO’s through policy formulation.
• Improve clinical forensic services by strengthening psychological input into forensic assessments of victims of rape, abuse and trauma- provincial directive issued in this regard.
• Develop a policy for forensic psychiatry services in the province
• Develop a provincial policy framework for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse
• Continue implementation of psychosocial rehabilitation policy

Other information relating to the Programme

• The programme interacts with various other programmes at Head Office in order to provide as holistic and integrated a programme as possible eg Healthy Lifestyles, Disability and Rehabilitation, Employee Assistance Programme, Maternal, Child and Women’s Health etc.
• Interaction with other governmental departments at all levels encourages and fosters intersevtoral collaboration between our programme and the relevant programmes of other departments.
• Our programme is represented at a national forum for mental health and substance abuse at the National Department of Health, making our programme aligned to national priorities.

Legislation that Mental Health and Substance Abuse adheres to.