Social Work
Social Work
Health social workers are professionally qualified social workers who assist patients and their whānau/families to manage the emotional and social impacts of illness and/or disability.
They assist the patient and family to develop strategies to manage any changes that have happened as a result of ill health or disability.
Health social workers
- offer supportive counselling around health issues and the impacts those issues have on both the individual and the whānau/family
- provide help in all cases of suspected family violence, abuse and neglect
- support clients and families as they make important health-related decisions
- assist clients to access the available support services they may need in the community,
- provide advice and support to access agencies such as Work and Income, ACC etc.
Key personnel
Rachel Swain
Manager, Social Work Acute
Jan Hart
Manager, Rural and Community, Older Persons & Rehabilitation, and the Child Development Centre
Lynette Eade
Lead Social Work Clinician, Mental Health and Addictions
Location
Health social workers are based in several locations in the community as well as:
- Waikato, Thames, Tokoroa, Te Kuiti and Taumarunui hospitals
- Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre.
Contact
Phone 07 839 8899 for all hospital departments and services
People living in the community can access a health social worker through their GP (general practitioner/family doctor), a district nurse, public health nurse etc.
People in any of our hospitals can access a health social worker through any nursing or medical staff member or other hospital staff (e.g. kaitiaki, physiotherapist etc.).