Westport still waiting for promised new $20m hospital

Sunday, 23 September 2018

Buller residents march in Westport in August 2017, calling for a proper hospital to be built in the region.

A West Coast community is frustrated it is still waiting for progress on its long-promised new hospital.

The West Coast District Health Board (WCDHB) first presented a business case for redeveloping Buller Hospital in 2011.

The previous National Government instead planned to build a $12 million Integrated Family Health Centre in Westport, which the community marched in protest against last year.

The Labour party last year promised it would provide $20 million to rebuild Buller Hospital if it made it into Government.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited Westport during her election campaign and promised Labour would commit $20 million for a new hospital if it got into Government.

* Community waiting for update on Government's promised Buller Hospital

* Westport Health Centre to replace Buller Hospital

* Faltering construction firm blamed as another Govt project delayed**

Buller Hospital Action Group spokeswoman Anita Halsall-Quinlan said the district was swayed by Ardern's pre-election promise, but now felt disappointed by the lack of progress.

'To say there have been frustrations from the lack of communication to the very poor level of engagement, would be an understatement … very little appears to have changed with the concept plans.

'Buller are basically getting the same building as proposed under the National-led government with some minor changes to the admin area but with a greatly increased price ticket,' she said.

The current plan offers only 10 hospital beds for the district's 10500 residents, of which about 17 per cent are aged over 65. Westport is 1.5 hours drive from Grey Hospital and four hours from Christchurch. The town's existing hospital has 35 beds, including 20 for aged care. Aged care is now solely provided by O'Conor Home.

'Despite government statistics showing there will be a large increase in our elderly population there is no provision for acute respite care. Our district also does not have all the necessary services in place to care for our elderly in their homes,' Halsall-Quinlan said.

'What is being planned is woefully inadequate and so, through the community consultation process, we have requested six extra beds. There were 1252 submissions united in this request.'

The action group hoped to meet DHB chairman David Meates and West Coast Partnership Group chairman Clayton Cosgrove on October 2 for an update.

The new draft plan, released in April, increased the size of the proposed facility from 1632 square metres to 2034sqm to ensure room sizes met Australasian standards.

A report summarising community feedback on the draft was released in May. It estimated detailed design work would begin in March 2019 and construction would be completed by October 2021.

The feedback showed the community was concerned about the lack of consultation, not having enough beds for palliative, respite and maternity care, not having enough aged residential care, and needing a private and secure mental health area.

Cosgrove said the community was angry they were not consulted on the previous Government's design so a thorough consultation process had to take place before any decisions were made.

He said a previous plan for ACC to own the hospital was scrapped and the Labour-led Government was committed to a model that was fully funded by the public.

'We are not even at this stage at a detailed design. There is appropriate angst. We are committed to working with the community and putting the consultation into the detailed design to make sure there is quality care for patients.

'You won't get everything you want but you will get everything you need,' he said.

A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said Buller's health centre was in the design stage and the WCDHB was considering community feedback.

An amended proposal be sent to the Capital Investment Committee, and then to the ministers of health and finance for approval.

'Once approvals are obtained, we will be able to communicate the project timeframe, including when it will be built,' she said.

Meanwhile, part of the roof on the new Grey Base Hospital is being replaced. Construction began in May 2016 and was due to be completed by April this year. It is now likely to be finished by the end of 2019.

A ministry spokeswoman said a small portion of the roof was being replaced due to damage caused by flying debris during ex-Cyclone Fehi in February.

'There is no delay to the project as the repair work will be undertaken concurrently with the remainder of the build.'

The repair work was covered by insurance, she said.