Victim Support steps aside as suicide bereavement service
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A new provider for a national suicide bereavement service as been appointed after Victim Support decided not to renew its contract in order to focus on victims of crime.
Health New Zealand has appointed Te Rau Ora, a Māori-focused mental health and addiction organisation, to provide Haurahi Ora - National Interim Bereavement Triage and Coordination Service from 1 July until 31 December.
Victim Support's contract will end on 30 June. Victim Support chief executive James McCulloch said he advised Health NZ of its decision not to renew its contract in February.
"Victim Support was founded to support victims of crime. Over time, we also stepped in to provide suicide bereavement support where gaps existed.
"While our team has made a meaningful difference in this space, the landscape has changed. There are now a growing number of specialist providers who are better positioned to offer support."
Te Rau Ora has provided suicide prevention and postvention services with a te ao Māori focus for more than 20 years, Te Rau Ora innovation director May Leanne Pritchard told RNZ.
"We acknowledge and cater for all ethnicities and cultures, including our gay and Muslim communities," Pritchard said.
She could not comment on Health NZ's appointment process but said her organisation was approached and asked to submit a proposal to run the service in February.
Health NZ said the appointment of Te Rau Ora was an "interim solution" given the short timeframes involved.
"While Te Rau Ora has a focus on Māori suicide prevention, as an organisation they have the necessary population networks, relationships, and community connections to be able to provide an interim solution," Health NZ Hauora Māori service head of service development Jade Sewell said.
"In the coming months as part of the reconfiguration of the current suicide prevention services there will be a design phase and then advertising via GETS for new suicide postvention services will occur."
Pritchard said the name, Haurahi Ora, was gifted to to the service and referred to "the journey from darkness to light".
The appointment of a new provider without a formal tender process has raised some eyebrows in the sector.
Yellow Brick Road, which provides mental health support for families, said it had also been approached by Health NZ about providing a national service but had not had any communication since.
"After initially being approached by HNZ about our interest and capacity to extend our current support to whānau, we didn't have any further response when we offered to discuss what our role could be and possible alternative models. We are not aware of any formal consultation or expression of interest process having taken place for a new contract for suicide postvention service provision," Yellow Brick Road chief executive John Moore said in a statement to RNZ.
Health NZ did not respond to questions about what procurement process was followed for the interim appointment.
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