Minister of Health Announces Local Investment

Minister of Health Announces Local Investment

Today, the Minister of Health Dr David Clark announced $24M towards improving facilities at Whangarei Hospital.

Northland DHB submitted single stage business cases for a number of projects seen as critical in creating adequate capacity while a redevelopment of Whangarei Hospital is planned.

These projects include a Whangarei Hospital Theatre extension, a new Endoscopy Suite and Cardiac Catheter Laboratory.

This interim work will enable Northland DHB to meet the demand for the immediate to short-term i.e. the next 5 - 10 years.

Theatres and Endoscopy Suite

Northland DHB is experiencing unprecedented growth for acute medical and surgical services. To meet demand pressures while Whangarei Hospital is redeveloped temporary theatre capacity is critical as is a separate endoscopy suite.

To address this constraint in the short term Northland DHB intends to:

• relocate and consolidate acute and elective endoscopy procedures to a vacant area in the hospital
• reconfigure the current theatre complex to allow a modular unit of two additional theatres to be clipped onto the main theatre corridor, and
• undertake a refresh of the existing theatres, central sterile unit, storage areas and reticulated services.

The planned new suite will contain a second procedure room which will enable increased number of colonoscopy procedures to be undertaken. This will be essential to meet the increased demand arising from the fast growing population in Northland and will also enable bowel screening to be implemented from July 2020.

Cardiac Catheter Laboratory (CCL)

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Northland contributes to the greater life expectancy gap between Northland and the rest of the Northern region and between Māori and non-Māori.

Addressing avoidable mortality through improved care for patients with CVD gives the most significant opportunity to reduce overall mortality and inequities.

The predicted number of additional patients who will benefit directly from a CCL in Northland will be approximately 1,000 per annum by 2027 based on the Northern Regional Alliance forecast.

The establishment of a cardiac catheter laboratory will help recruit specialist staff who we have previously been unable to attract, largely because of the absence of a Cardiac Catheter Laboratory.

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