Lakes DHB – Rotorua Hospital Redevelopment

Thank you for inviting me back to officially open the first stage of the Rotorua Hospital redevelopment. 



Many of you were here with me in October 2009 when I had the privilege of being the first person to "turn the sod" on this project..



Today – it is again a pleasure to be back here celebrating another stage in the project.



All up, the price tag for the redevelopment is $83 million.



Today's three level building - designed to meet the needs of the community for the next twenty years – cost $36 million.



The human investment – months and months of hard planning, hard work and commitment from the Lakes Board, Lakes management and clinical staff, and the contractors who physically built it.



THE NEW DEVELOPMENT



This modern building is a huge improvement on the existing outdated facilities.



It is user friendly, housing all specialist outpatient clinical services together on the ground floor – a lot more convenient for both patients and staff.



Previously these services were spread in several locations on the hospital grounds, leading to many late arrivals and no shows for appointments.



Carrying out this redevelopment held some interesting surprises.



First of all, the new premises are designed in an earthquake to float on mud – should that be required.  The new building has foundations described as a raft rather than piles.

  

It holds a basement sealed against Rotorua’s famous gases – engineers have another term for it but I understand the equivalent of a giant film of gladwrap was used to keep the gases on the outside.



The building’s heating is steam driven, something that’s common for hospitals.  But of course, being Rotorua, here the heating is from its own thermal steam bore. 



Which comes with its own risks - one of your gardeners drove his tractor over it and exploded the cap off the bore. 



You’ll be reassured to know the driver only hurt his pride and the bore has since been recapped.



It’s good to see that it’s not just Wellington that suffers from escaping hot air.



This being Rotorua, some parts of the hospital are hot, naturally hot.



I understand the temperature underneath the MRI unit will be as hot as the tea we will soon be drinking (90 degrees). 



And the concrete foundation there requires its own constant water cooling.



And then there was the discovery of a new thermal bore – technically known as a fumarole –under the current mental health services block. 



The fumarole helped explain the moisture and heat in that block – together with a sagging wooden floor.



Better Services



Health services are of course, far more than bricks and mortar.



Your hospital redevelopment will make significant improvements to the delivery of care to patients.



The redevelopment allows for more surgical procedures in four specially designed minor procedure rooms, freeing up theatre space for more complex surgery.



Pre admission clinics are led by nurses - freeing up doctors for patient diagnosis and treatment



Specialist outpatient clinics are concentrated in one place – much more convenient for both patients and staff.



People needing to stay in hospital will also have better, more comfortable environment.  There are more single bed  rooms than current facilities as well as four bedded rooms. 

There are specialist beds for larger patients, and a patient friendly design in the updated ICU.



All the medical support technology is suspended overhead and out of the way.



Four new isolation rooms; two each in the medical ward and ICU -  all with negative air pressure, enable staff to handle infectious patients.



Another two in the ED redevelopment are still to come.



More Redevelopment to Come



In the next stage of the development -  the number of theatres increase from four to five;  the number of cubicles in the emergency department double to 32; elderly services increase capacity from 19 to 25 beds and there will be a 16 space procedure unit for day surgery patients.



This Government has approved several hospital capital projects, totalling more than $500 million in the last two and a half years.



Among them:



Stage One of Middlemore Hospital Future Growth at $208 million, Lakeview Emergency Care Centre at North Shore Hospital at $48 million, Taranaki Base Hospital development - $80 million; and Tauranga Hospital – East Wing development at $27 million.



However a new, state of the art hospital is just one prerequisite for a world class health service.



The other essential ingredient is people. 



Health professionals who are committed to their patients and to doing their very clinical best.



Lakes DHB has made some big gains here as well – I'd like to mention one.  



Achieving 100 per cent in the 'Better Help for Smokers to Quit' preventive health target in the last quarter.



In the past three months, 1154 smokers were admitted to Lakes DHB hospitals, and every single one of them was offered brief advice to quit.



International evidence says quick advice to quit from a health professional is one of the most effective methods of smoking cessation.



So well done.



I congratulate you all on your achievements here today. 



You should be proud for completing stage one of this $83 million project.



I wish you well with the rest of the redevelopment.



I would now like to formally open this new building.



….and I have one last thing to say: I will be back.