New Zealand’s former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital, Health Minister, Simeon Brown has announced.
The Minister says actions have been taken to get the controversial hospital project’s cost overruns under control.
“Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin Hospital that will futureproof the provision of timely, quality healthcare for the people of Dunedin and the surrounding Otago and Southland regions. This will be a new, modern hospital, built at the former Cadbury factory site,” Mr Brown says.
Last year, the Government invested $290 million towards the new Dunedin Hospital project, bringing the total funding for the project to $1.88 billion. Alongside this, the Government is investing a record additional $16.68 billion in health over three years, the Minister confirmed.
“All New Zealanders deserve to see better results for that record spend on health, including better health infrastructure, to ensure they have access to timely, quality healthcare. The Government has listened to the Dunedin community and is committed to build a new Dunedin Hospital to deliver the healthcare locals need.”
Upon opening, the new Dunedin Hospital will provide:
- 351 beds, with capacity to expand to 404 beds over time;
- 20 short-stay surgical beds, a new model of care;
- 22 theatres, with capacity to expand to 24 theatres over time;
- 41 same day beds to provide greater capacity for timely access to specialist and outpatient procedures;
- 58 ED spaces, including a short-stay unit and specialised emergency psychiatric care;
- 20 imaging units for CT, MRI and Xray procedures, with 6 additional spaces available for future imaging advancement.
In late September last year, the Government released Robert Rust’s independent review into the hospital project. The review found that the project was alarmingly off-track and over budget due to poor decision making and due diligence by the previous government.
“The Dunedin Hospital project was poorly handled under the previous government. They promised big, made poor decisions, and blew out the budget. We are focused on delivering a safe, modern hospital complex that Dunedin deserves,” Mr Brown says.
“There are few suitable sites for a new Dunedin Hospital to be located. The former Cadbury factory site purchased by the previous government has numerous construction challenges such as contamination, flood risk, and access issues. However, we are confident that these can be overcome, and it’s clear that using this site to build a new hospital would be far less disruptive than constructing a new complex at the existing hospital.
“Our review of the project means the hospital will be futureproofed for growth, with no change to the number of floors to be built. The new Dunedin Hospital will provide clinical staff with world-class facilities and is designed to meet the needs of the community. The site will also be futureproofed so new beds and services will be able to be brought online when needed. The new Dunedin Hospital will be able to adapt and expand in years to come to ensure it responds to changing needs.”
Further updates will be provided once the contracting process has been completed, he said.
Dunedin Mayor, Jules Radich says the announcement is “a reassuring response to public pressure and a significant win for the entire Southern region”.
“Building the complete structure is the critical decision – it means the new hospital will have enough space to provide for the health needs of our region now and for decades to come,” he said.
Mayor Radich thanked everyone who took part in the ‘Save Our Southern Hospital’ campaign from across the region.
“The people of the South came together to speak loudly with one voice, and the Government has listened.”
‘‘It’s hard to ignore 35,000 people marching in the street, followed by cascades of postcards, articles and emails. The people of Dunedin, Otago and Southland deserve to feel proud of their efforts for which they have been rightfully rewarded. I certainly feel very proud of them.
“The services and facilities for opening day are not quite as previously planned, but that day is five years away. As models of care and needs change, so too can the mix of amenities. The main thing is to have the space in which to install them.
“We can now look forward to watching the new southern region tertiary hospital Inpatients block rise from the ground and link up with the Outpatients building across the street,” he said.
