First women’s ward for Waitemata DHB gynaecology patients

14 August 2014

Firstever women’s ward for Waitemata DHB gynaecology patients

Waitemata DHB will build its firstever dedicated women’s inpatient ward – a 15bed gynaecology facility scheduled to open at North Shore Hospital in mid2015.

Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley said the new ward would greatly improve access to gynaecology services for women throughout the Waitemata district and result in the very highest quality of care for patients.

It would also deliver muchneeded additional capacity for the fastestgrowing DHB in the country. At an anticipated cost of $6.2 million, the new facility will see a 30member specialist gynaecological team providing integrated care alongside the maternity ward on level two.

“At present, we don’t have any dedicated beds for gynaecology patients, meaning women needing these services are allocated available beds throughout the hospital,” Dr Bramley said.

“This needs to change because we are witnessing increasing demand for gynaecology services as our population continues to grow faster than that of any other DHB in the country.

“Having our own dedicated ward will allow women to receive gynaecological services in an appropriate environment where dignity and privacy can be safeguarded and where we can invest in building the skills and experience of a specialist team.

“We also believe it will be more efficient and productive to have our gynaecology service in a single location, with the added benefit of those beds currently used by gynaecology patients becoming available for the needs of other surgical patients.”

Features of the gynaecology ward will include:
• A separate Butterfly Suite – a private area for women and whanau experiencing stillbirth, for grieving families and for women with palliative care needs
• A fourbay assessment area
• A procedure room allowing the service to provide seamless care without patients needing to be moved around the hospital
• One isolation room, two single rooms, four double rooms and a fourbedded room

The new ward will be built on what is currently an open roof area and space used for maternity clinics, with construction to begin in December.

“The creation of dedicated beds will improve access to our services and allow our gynaecology team to provide the best support to women at what can often be a vulnerable time,” Dr Bramley said.

“The inclusion of the Butterfly Suite in the design is important because it provides a discreet space for staff to have sensitive discussions with patients and whanau and allows those who may have received difficult news to be together in privacy.”

The new ward is the latest development in a strategic plan to add 209 beds to Waitemata DHB’s capacity by 2026 based on projected demand for services.

It follows recent improvements including:
• The opening of ophthalmology services at Waitakere Hospital
• A 40bed stateoftheart Elective Surgery Centre at North Shore Hospital
• A new emergency department and Assessment & Diagnostic Unit at North Shore Hospital
• Waitakere Hospital’s new endoscopy suite – Waitemata DHB’s fourth
• An expanded paediatric unit at Waitakere Hospital, with 10 additional beds
• An 18station community dialysis facility in Mairangi Bay
• A new MRI suite at North Shore Hospital opened in July

Upcoming developments include:
• A significant expansion of Waitakere Hospital’s emergency department
• The refurbishment of Waitakere Hospital’s maternity unit
• A redevelopment of the North Shore Hospital level two podium and the addition of a third floor, including a new chapel
• A 46bed mental health facility He Puna Waiora on the North Shore Hospital site due for completion in early 2015

ENDS

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