Latest news with #NelsonHospital
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Labour says new Nelson Hospital plan lets residents down
Health Minister Simeon Brown says the pared-down redevelopment of Nelson Hospital is still the biggest investment in the city in decades. The government has revealed that its plans will cost $500 million over four years, including a new five-storey inpatient unit with 128 beds, adding 41 more beds to current capacity. The redesign is less than half the cost of the project signed off under the previous Labour-led government which was for a new acute services building with 255 beds, eight theatres and a larger emergency department adding 92 beds to current capacity. Brown told Morning Report a temporary inpatient ward would be up and running in the next 12 months, which would have a life span of 50 years and could be transported for use at other hospitals in the future. "Getting those extra beds in much sooner helps deal with the existing challenges facing that hospital." They were delivering a hospital that met Nelson's required needs as outlined in Health New Zealand's business case, he said. Health New Zealand started started a process under the last government in August 2023, but "they weren't up front with the people of Nelson that they'd actually started a rescoping of the project", he said. "It has put together a scope which allows for some of the current buildings to be earthquake strengthened and repurposed which is what we're doing, plus also a new in patient unit. "It's the biggest investment in Nelson in decades and it's going to mean we can meet the needs of Nelson for years to come which is critically important because at the moment the lack of beds is leading to surgeries being cancelled, theatre lists being delayed, patients not getting the care that they need." The government had been advised that the previous approach would have taken 10 to 12 years to build, but the government's plan meant that beds would be in place a lot sooner, he said. A master plan also allows for potential future expansion of Nelson Hospital, he said. Brown said at this stage there was no plan for any further operating theatres because "this is about making sure that we've got the bed capacity to be able to deliver utilising the existing capacity of the operating theatres", he said. The Budget had put aside funding for three or four temporary inpatient wards such as the one to be built in Nelson, he said. They would be used where there was a need to increase beds within a short period of time, he said. Nelson Hospital anaesthetist Dr Katie Ben, who is also national president of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, said as well as beds more operating theatres were needed. "New beds is great, I am really really happy that they're designing a building that will increase our bed capacity but we need more operating theatres, we need more staff - it's pointless having the beds there if you don't have the nurses, the doctors, the techs and all the allied staff that go with it to be able to look after the patients in those beds." Dr Ben said she liked the idea of a modular temporary unit and would be interested to see where it would go on the site and how they would get the essential services such as oxygen and suction plumbed into it but reiterated they would need to find the nurses to staff it. Nelson Hospital had been too small for some time, she said. "But it is not just about beds, it is about more infrastructure, it is about how yesterday during that horrendous rain storm we had water dripping in through the ceilings, we had water coming in through the walls, we had towels down on the floor in places to stop people slipping on the water and buckets to catch the rain drops - that is not appropriate, will that be included in the refurbishment?" Staff were cautiously optimistic about the planned change and looking forward to being able to provide proper care, she said. But she believed this was only a short term solution and the government was "kicking the can down the road". "We have reservations about the lack of beds that is required - we currently have about 160, an extra 41 will bring us to just over 200 beds for the region - similar sized hospitals serving similar sized parts of the country have more like 250 beds." The Labour Party is critical of the government's plans to redevelop Nelson Hospital, saying it will deliver half the number of new beds as the previous government had planned. The $500m upgrade will take four years, cost less than half of what was previously planned. Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins told Morning Report the government was setting the "new" Nelson Hospital up for failure. "It's going to be overcrowded from the day it first opens, they are not future proofing the Nelson Hospital at all. "I think residents of Nelson have a right to feel pretty let down by this government who made them some big promises before the election and are now offering half of what they were promised." Hipkins agreed Labour's plan was going to take longer, but said that was because it was a bigger hospital. He said the government had also not delivered on "anything yet". "This idea that the government delivers simply by announcing a plan is ridiculous." He said Labour's plan was affordable but noted building costs had gone up. Labour's health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall said Nelson was being short-changed, as Labour had promised an increase of 92 beds over the existing capacity. "We were a hundred percent committed to the hospital with 255 beds. The government is trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear here by saying they're committing half the amount of money to half the hospital," she said. She had concerns the new plan would not meet Nelson's needs, meaning the hospital would need to be upgraded again just a few years after the rebuild. Verrall said the modular units were a good, innovative idea, but that the devil would be in the detail. "Hospitals are complex projects, where lots of different types of people have to do different jobs and work there. We want to see that it's implemented appropriately for Nelson." 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RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Watch live: Nicola Willis and Simeon Brown reveal more details about new Nelson hospital
Finance Minster Nicola Willis and Health Minister Simeon Brown are revealing more details about the redevelopment of Nelson Hospital. The hospital is set to undergo redevelopment as part of the government's $1 billion health infrastructure funding boost in Budget 2025, but it is yet to confirm how much money it is committing. Brown has announced that Nelson Hospital will be the first to have a new, transportable 28 to 32-bed inpatient unit, which is designed to provide extra capacity quickly. "These modular units are part of a broader Budget 2025 initiative to ensure hospitals can continue delivering for patients during redevelopment." Brown said the unit is expected to be delivered within the next 12 months. The governmnt announced it would fund a new 128-bed inpatient building that would be built by 2029 and the hospital's two main buildings - the George Manson and Percy Brunette buildings - will be refurbished and seismically strengthened. Accordig to Brown a new Energy Centre will house critical hospital infrastructure, and there will be digital upgrades at the hospital. The government has not disclosed the cost of the new building, citing commercial sensitivities. The current hospital has 163 beds and six operating theatres. Recent flash flooding across Nelson caused manhole covers to blow out, and locals watched cows being swept down rivers. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) Nelson-Marlborough assistant commander Chris Best said the water had begun to recede after two hours of heavy rain on Monday morning. The stand-up - set to address these issues - will start at 2.20pm. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Government yet to confirm Nelson Hospital redevelopment Budget
The government says the two largest buildings at Nelson Hospital, the Percy Brunette Block on the left and the George Manson Block on the right, will be refurbished and a new inpatient building with 128 beds will be built by 2029. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee The government is not disclosing how much money it's committing to the redevelopment of Nelson Hospital , but it's clear Labour's plans for a billion dollar rebuild are off the table. The government has announced it will fund a new 128-bed inpatient building that will be built by 2029 and will refurbish the two main existing buildings, as part of a $1 billion health infrastructure funding boost in Budget 2025. It has not disclosed the cost of the new building, citing commercial sensitivities. The current hospital has 163 beds and six operating theatres. Labour's plan was for a new acute services building with 255 beds at a cost of $1.1b. Health Minister Simeon Brown said the redeveloped hospital would have 207 "points of care", but did not clarify what they were, and an additional 41 overnight medical/surgical beds compared to the current hospital. Nelson MP Rachel Boyack says the people of Nelson are still waiting to see the master plan for the Nelson Hospital redevelopment, despite being promised it by the end of 2024. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Nelson MP Rachel Boyack has labelled the government's plan a downgrade. "Labour had committed to funding one large acute services building for Nelson that would have cost $1.1 billion, but today's budget makes no mention of our planned acute services building. "Instead, they have committed to building a smaller building, but my concern is that that won't provide for the needs of Nelson's ageing and growing population." It's not clear how many beds in total there will be in the redeveloped hospital. Cabinet had approved the business case to build a refurbished hospital in six stages at an estimated cost of $1.098 billion in 2023, with $73 million set aside for the design work. Last August, then Health Minister Shane Reti said the plan had changed to include a series of smaller builds alongside the refurbishment and seismic strengthening of the two main hospital buildings. Former Health Minister Dr Shane Reti outside Nelson Hospital after announcing the change in plans for its redevelopment. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee The $1b health infrastructure investment in Budget 2025 will be spread across several other projects, including a new emergency department at Wellington Regional Hospital, the remediation of Palmerston North Hospital and improving critical Auckland hospital infrastructure. Boyack said the government needed to release the master plan and business case for the redevelopment as it had promised to do before the end of 2024 . "The people of Nelson really want to know exactly what is going to be built, how many beds and exactly where on the site and they haven't received that information so it leaves [them] in the dark once more." Boyack said she was concerned about the overall level of investment in health, given that the government's health infrastructure plan said more than $20 billion was needed. "This budget offers up just a pittance of that with $1 billion, and so it doesn't actually provide the certainty that our new hospital will be built and funded." Budget 2025's $1 billion in health infrastructure funding will go towards the redevelopment of Nelson Hospital, a new emergency department at Wellington Regional Hospital, the remediation of Palmerston North Hospital and improving critical Auckland hospital infrastructure. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Meanwhile, Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said the investment in Nelson Hospital was "a huge sum for a small region at a time when government is grappling with large deficits and growing debt". He said the new building would be six storeys high and larger than the existing two buildings at 11,000m2. The government has not said where the building would be located. Smith said it was the government's largest investment and biggest project ever for Nelson and the plan was affordable and deliverable. "It addresses the major issues of our shortage of beds, the poor conditions of existing wards and the earthquake strengthening." He said the council would now work closely with government and Health NZ to progress the resource and building consents as quickly as possible to get the build underway efficiently. In April, hundreds of people gathered at Nelson Hospital at a rally calling for better facilities and improved staffing. Photo: RNZ/Samantha Gee A man who started a parliamentary petition this month calling for a full rebuild of Nelson Hospital said the redevelopment plans were like "putting a fresh coat of paint over a mouldy wall and not fixing or addressing the hospital as a whole". Daniel Walker was diagnosed with testicular cancer last year after at least a seven-week delay, that meant he was forced to have invasive surgery after the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes in his abdomen. He has since become an advocate for a new hospital, alongside the senior doctors and nurses who have spoken out about the dire state of the hospital buildings, with staffing shortages and run-down facilities putting patients at risk and leading to blown-out wait lists. Health NZ sent a team of senior clinicians to Nelson Hospital last month to look further into the issues that had been raised. Chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan was among them and he said there was "no doubt" some of the facilities definitely need significant improvement or rebuilding and that the number of beds was a challenge. The Nelson Hospital redevelopment has been on the table for at least a decade, due to the increasing demands from a growing population. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee Health NZ deputy chief executive Te Waipounamu Martin Keogh said an independent support team had been established to review the issues that had been raised, assess the appropriateness of the existing programmes of work and to address access to care issues at Nelson. It would provide reports and recommendations on any other concerns within the next month. "These will be submitted to the Health NZ Executive Leadership Team to review and agree actions to improve the situation as quickly as possible for patients and staff." Walker said he was concerned a new inpatient building had been designed and approved before those reports from Health NZ had been finalised, which could result in the delivery of a building that was not fit for purpose. "It's not setting up for the future just re-purposing old facilities and building and shifting departments to a new smaller building... it's just kicking the ball down the road to have same problems in 5-10 years time." He's hoping to get 10,000 signatures on the petition and take it to parliament himself and present it to the Select Committee for consideration. "We have one shot at this and now's the time for people to speak up." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
No Big Bang For Infrastructure In Budget 2025
Press Release – Infrastructure New Zealand The headline infrastructure funding commitment is a $1 billion allocation to health facility upgrades and maintenance, including the Nelson Hospital redevelopment and Wellington Regional Hospital Emergency Department refurbishment. The 2025 Budget further incentivises private sector investment but doesn't deliver the nation-building infrastructure that can lift New Zealand's productivity and deliver the public services New Zealanders need. 'This is a cautious Budget in tight fiscal times. There's no big bang for infrastructure, instead it signals further moves to support private sector capital investment and promises that need to be backed by future investment,' says Infrastructure New Zealand's Michelle McCormick. 'The Investment Boost tax incentive, providing businesses with an immediate 20% tax deduction on new asset purchases, will be welcomed by the infrastructure industry and enable it to invest in the plant and machinery necessary to deliver future assets.' 'Another useful tweak is the change to capitalisation rules that will allow foreign owned companies to fund a higher proportion of their investment in New Zealand through debt. Again, this sends a signal that New Zealand is a good place to invest in infrastructure.' 'We also welcome the funding allocated to establish Invest NZ as the shop front for foreign investment in infrastructure projects.' The headline infrastructure funding commitment is a $1 billion allocation to health facility upgrades and maintenance, including the Nelson Hospital redevelopment and Wellington Regional Hospital Emergency Department refurbishment. 'Asset management and renewal in our health system is overdue, but we know that our health infrastructure requires a lot more investment over the long-term,' says McCormick. 'Today's allocation is a good start but with no contingency funding allocated to these projects there is a lack of transparency as to where the money will go.' Infrastructure New Zealand also welcomes the following initiatives: The $219 million for the recovery of local roads in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. The upgrades for Wellington and Auckland commuter rail and the investment in our rail freight network. The small allocation of funding to push along regional deals that could be a game changer in how local infrastructure is delivered. 'Budget 2025 confirms the Government is prioritising fiscal restraint and bringing the Government's books back under control. But New Zealanders want to see shovels in the ground and progress towards delivery of the projects that will help grow our economy and enhance their communities.' Note: Infrastructure New Zealand is Aotearoa's peak membership organisation for the infrastructure sector. We promote best practice in national infrastructure development through research, advocacy, and public and private sector collaboration. We promote public and media discussion on issues of importance to the infrastructure sector. Our membership is comprised of around 140 organisations, including government agencies, consultants, contractors, financiers, utilities, and academics. These organisations employ approximately 150,000 people in infrastructure-related roles and are united in their commitment to creating a better New Zealand through outstanding infrastructure.
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
No surprises for health sector
For the health sector it's largely a 'no surprises' Budget, with all the big-ticket items having already been announced - including a $447 million boost for primary care, urgent and after-hours care. Getting a prescription is set to get cheaper for people with long-term conditions like asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure, with a move to allow 12-month prescriptions from June. That is set to cost $91m. Overall, the health budget now tops $3.1b in 2025/26 - an increase of less than 5% (4.77%) for the year. That includes the "cost pressure funding" to which the government committed in last year's Budget of $16m over six years. The Budget includes $2.7 million for capital expenditure - mainly to fix and upgrade crumbling hospital infrastructure, projects like the new Dunedin Hospital development - but also to resolve all the claims from historical non-compliance with the Holidays Act. Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government's "record investment" in health was already delivering results, in terms of more elective surgeries, GP appointments, and other critical healthcare services. "Budget 2025 also invests over $1 billion in new capital to deliver modern, fit-for-purpose infrastructure that meets the health needs of New Zealand's growing and ageing population. "We're also making real progress on our health targets. Emergency department wait times are coming down, cancer patients are being seen faster, and childhood immunisation rates are improving." Budget 2025 initiatives include: • $81.2m this year for increased access to urgent and after-hours care, helping to reduce pressure on emergency departments expanding the primary care workforce, including training more doctors and nurses locally •24/7 access to digital primary care for online medical consultations, making it easier for people to get advice and prescriptions from their own homes easier access to long-term prescriptions and broader prescribing rights • streamlined transfers from hospital to aged care, helping free up inpatient hospital beds and improve continuity of care - set to cost $6m, funded through "reprioritisation from the Ministry of Health's baselines" •increased funding for the Health and Disability Commissioner to improve complaint resolution and care standards • support for a new multi-agency response to mental health distress calls ($2.2m for hospital services in this year's Budget, rising to $7.7m in 2028/29 plus $ 511m for primary sector, rising to $29m • over $1b for health infrastructure, including redeveloping Nelson Hospital, Wellington Emergency Department and upgrading Auckland Hospital. "We are delivering on our promise to put patients first," Brown said. "This additional investment of 7.4 percent in total funding represents an increase of 6.2 percent per capita, which will make a real difference to people's lives - ensuring timely, high-quality care for patients while supporting our frontline workforce who deliver that care every day."
