Southern Cross CLT Hospital On Schedule To Open By End Of Year

The new independent hospital for the Central Lakes region is on track to open before the end of this year.

Providing an update on progress today, Terry Moore the Chair of the Southern Cross CLT Limited joint venture, said that despite the challenges caused by the various COVID lockdowns, excellent progress had been made and the hospital was on track to be handed over from the developer, Queenstown Commercial, before Christmas.

“We are extremely pleased with the progress made in all the circumstances. The hospital will be completed and fully equipped prior to the Christmas holidays and we will spend a few weeks over the holiday period ensuring everything is in place and working ready to start operations during January,” Mr Moore said.

“We have employed a full time hospital manager and several other key sta who are working with our local advisor Andrew Blair in preparation for services to commence in the new year. By the time the hospital opens for business in January we will be employing around 25 sta.

“We have also engaged the services of an anaesthetist who will be available locally full-time to provide clinical governance and oversight and to provide anaesthetic services together with other visiting specialists.

“The Southern District Health Board has contracted the hospital to undertake various elective surgical procedures, including a regular weekly operating list for acute orthopaedic procedures which will save patients the need to travel to Invercargill for treatment. We are delighted to be working in close collaboration with the Southern DHB and the clinical sta at Lakes Hospital,” Mr Moore said.

The hospital includes three operating theatres although the plan is to initially only begin low-complexity day surgery in one theatre, before bringing on stream a second theatre in February when inpatient services will begin to be provided.

The hospital has 13 inpatient beds each with their own en suite. Over time an increasing schedule of specialist surgery is planned, including orthopaedics, ophthalmology, urology, gynaecology, plastic and general surgery.

The hospital will not be providing accident and emergency services but will be funded by ACC to provide surgery for qualifying injured patients.

Mr Moore added “We are really looking forward to opening the hospital. The Central Lakes region has waited a long time to secure local surgical services and we are now just a few months away. We are planning a public open day at some stage next year so we can share with the community this fantastic local asset and people will be able to go behind the scenes to experience parts of the hospital not usually accessible to the public.”

Southern Cross CLT Limited is a 50:50 joint venture between the local Central Lakes Trust and Southern Cross Healthcare Limited.

Southern Cross Healthcare is New Zealand’s largest non-public healthcare organisation operating hospitals and health-orientated businesses on not-for-profit principles throughout New Zealand.

Central Lakes Trust is a charitable trust supporting the Central Lakes area. Queenstown Commercial Limited is the developer of Kawarau Park a medical precinct including the Southern Cross CLT Hospital, Pacific Radiology, and other healthcare, retail and hospitality services.

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