Government ministers today announced more than half a billion dollars will go towards the Nelson Hospital redevelopment — but lingering questions remain about whether it will be enough beds for the growing region.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Health Minister Simeon Brown today visited the hospital, looking at the Emergency Department expansion that’s underway and spoke to staff.
In the Budget last week, a new inpatient building was announced, although the exact funding of that remained under wraps.
“I can’t give you the precise figures because it is commercially sensitive and we want to make sure we get the best value for money and the best bang for taxpayers’ bucks,” Willis said today.
Once the new building was completed, it would bring the total number of beds at Nelson Hospital to 207, a big jump from the current 162.
But it was less than Labour promised in 2023 and Health New Zealand’ own projections raised questions about whether it would be enough.
A document released to 1News under the Official Information Act showed Health NZ modelled a range of options for how many beds would be needed in the future.
In the most likely scenario, by 2042 there would be 221 inpatient beds needed at Nelson Hospital, which was14 more than announced last week.
Minister Brown said modelling had been done and more health services would be accessible in the community in the future.
“It’s also got a master plan which does allow for future expansion if required into the future so Health New Zealand is delivering in the short term [and] also the long term and this funding means we can now crack on and get on with it”.
Labour’s health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall wasconcerned the new hospital would be too small. “The advice that we had in Government was that Nelson needed 255 beds and that was our commitment at the election.”
Brown said getting it built sooner was a priority. “It will feature an acute assessment unit, a transit lounge, a modern pharmacy and blood bank, and dedicated spaces for assessment, rehabilitation and treatment”.
Ministers also announced today Nelson would be the first in the country to get one of the new moveable hospital wards within the next 12 months. “Temporary, fully transportable ward facilities that will provide up to 32 additional beds while redevelopment is underway,” Brown said.
Construction on the new inpatient building would begin later this year. While the public and staff waited for the rebuild, there were a number of pressing issues at the hospital.
Delays to procedures ‘completely unacceptable’
Today was the first time Government ministers had visited the hospital since senior doctors went public in March about their concerns around staffing and public safety.
Minister Brown today said the reports from doctors of patients receiving emergency hysterectomies’ and cancers becoming incurable while on waitlists were “completely unacceptable”.
A senior Health New Zealand team was flown in to get to the bottom of the problems and was expected to report back next month. Brown said his expectation was that it would be released in full.
“I’m advised will also include recommendations which I expect will be acted upon to ensure that people of Nelson can have the time and quality healthcare that they need.”
