Mental Health Infrastructure Programme Review

The Mental Health Infrastructure Programme Review was undertaken by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s (DPMC’s) Implementation Unit, with assistance from The Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. The Commission appointed expert reviewers to provide objective advice and prepared a detailed Technical Review for Te Whatu Ora.

The Review stemmed from the Year Three Stocktake of the Budget 2019 Health and Addiction Package carried out by the DPMC, which assessed progress on the Budget 2019 initiatives. The Stocktake recommended that a ‘deep dive’ of the Mental Health Infrastructure Programme’s (MHIP’s) 16 projects be done to provide advice on the projects’ delivery status, the robustness of the estimated completion dates, and the risks and issues of each project.

The deep dive and Technical Review reflect a single point in time, shortly after the transition from the 20 District Health Boards to Te Whatu Ora, when the responsibility for delivering the 16 mental health projects also shifted to Te Whatu Ora. The challenges identified should be seen in the context of market conditions at the time, and the health reforms that were underway, which were designed in part to address concerns around how health capital projects had been planned in the past.

The reviewers acknowledged the value the MHIP has contributed to the projects it has been involved with, and saw no opportunities to materially accelerate the projects in the MHIP. All project-level recommendations have been completed or closed, and many of the Programme-level recommendations have already been implemented or are well underway.

The Programme-level themes and actions identified in the review were all consistent with what the IIG had independently identified. The establishment of Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora present significant opportunities to improve the way in which projects are planned, procured and delivered, and have begun to address the issues that were present when the projects that are in the MHIP were established.

The remaining themes and actions identified have been incorporated into the IIG’s operating model and will be addressed as the model is established ― through an integrated structure and strengthened national functions.

Notably, the deep dive found ample evidence of the value in building central capability and capacity in planning and delivering health infrastructure.

Some redactions have been made to the Technical Review, for instance to protect individuals’ privacy, or where issues are under active consideration or where free and frank advice has been given.

Read the statement on the Technical Review from Te Waihanga.