New $220 million surgical hospital supports best care

New $220 million surgical hospital supports best care

Today’s announcement of a new $220 million surgical hospital on the North Shore Hospital campus will create significant additional elective capacity to meet the future health needs of the people of the Waitemata district and beyond.

Waitemata DHB Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley said the project, announced on-site today by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Dr David Clark, represented the biggest single capital injection into the health needs of the Waitemata district since the construction of the North Shore Hospital tower block in the early 1980s.

“This investment ensures a rapid response to the health needs of the fast-growing Waitemata population and will be well-received by our staff and our community,” Dr Bramley said.

“It also creates the opportunity for this new surgical hospital to become a specialist elective surgery centre within the Northern Region, which is consistent with our region’s Long-Term Investment Plan, also released today.”

The new four-storey surgical hospital will add more than 12,000 square metres of floor space to Waitemata DHB’s existing Elective Surgery Centre and will include:

· Four new wards, comprising an estimated 120 additional beds;

· Four additional operating theatres;

· New endoscopy suites, reducing waiting times for colonoscopy and gastroscopy procedures;

· Clinical support services spaces;

· Patient and whanau-centred design, supporting modern models of care and in-built features that enhance the experience of patients and visitors; and

· An extended Sky Bridge link connecting the surgical hospital to the main hospital tower block, enabling the flexibility to transfer non-elective patients as required.

Planning and design work on the new surgical hospital is already well underway, with demolition of ageing buildings on the site no longer used for clinical care to begin in the New Year.

The demolition programme is expected to take around 12 months before construction of the new hospital begins over an anticipated three-year timetable.

Budget plans for the additional staff required to operate the new surgical hospital will be advanced during the construction cycle.

Waitemata DHB Chair Prof Judy McGregor said the announcement of funding for the new hospital was an exciting development that followed years of planning and would help the DHB keep patient waiting times to a minimum while ensuring best care.

“Today’s announcement means we will be in a position to continue providing excellent access to elective procedures for people across West Auckland, Rodney and the North Shore,” she said.

“But it is very significant that, on the same day we release our Northern Region Long-Term Investment Plan, that this new surgical hospital also creates the opportunity to provide care to people from outside the Waitemata district.

“Neighbouring DHBs working together in this way is going to be critical to managing the massive population growth we are seeing right across Auckland.”

The Waitemata district is already home to more than 630,000 people – the biggest catchment of any district health board in the country by a large margin. The Waitemata population is expected to reach 803,550 by 2036/37.

The project is to be funded by a $200 million Government investment and $20 million from Waitemata DHB’s own reserves.

ENDS

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