Latest news with #TaranakiBaseHospital
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Radiology backlog at Taranaki Base Hospital cleared
Taranaki Base Hospital. Photo: Google Maps Taranaki Base Hospital has cleared its backlog of more than 6000 unprocessed radiology reports. In March, RNZ reported more than 6000 x-ray reports, MRI and CT scans were sitting unprocessed causing unacceptable delays for patients needing diagnosis and treatment. Health Minister Simeon Brown welcomed the clearance of the radiology backlog. "People in Taranaki deserve access to timely, high-quality healthcare - and that includes getting diagnostic results back quickly. With the backlog now cleared and all results referred back to GPs, patients are now receiving their results." To address the backlog, Health New Zealand made full use of available public radiology resources and engaged private imaging providers to boost reporting capacity and return results directly to patients' GPs, Brown said. "This was a practical, solutions-focused response. By combining public capacity with private sector support, the backlog was cleared efficiently, and care has been sped up for thousands of people." Outsourcing remained in place to manage ongoing demand and reduce the risk of future backlogs. "Taranaki Base Hospital will continue to use private capacity where needed - an approach that is consistent with the Government's broader strategy to reduce waitlists across the health system," said Brown. "Our focus on reducing waitlists has already resulted in more than 8600 additional elective procedures being delivered through outsourcing. It's a clear example of how we can apply the same approach to diagnostics - using targeted outsourcing to deliver faster care. "We are committed to practical improvements that reduce delays, support frontline services, and deliver better outcomes for patients." Brown said the result in Taranaki showed what could be achieved when the focus was on what mattered "making sure New Zealanders get the care they need, when they need it". Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Government announces $59.2 million funding to ensure Taranaki hospital revamp
embed: Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced a $59.2 million funding boost to ensure stage two of the Taranaki Base Hospital redevelopment can go ahead. Brown made the announcement in New Plymouth on Thursday. He said the project had been adversely affected by construction cost inflation. "The additional funding will address cost pressures that have emerged since 2022, ensuring we can complete Stage Two of the project on schedule and deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose hospital that can meet the region's needs now and into the future," Brown said. "What we've done is - or Health New Zealand's done - is ensured this is fully funded so that it can be completed to the scope that was designed to be done and give that certainty and confidence to the people of Taranaki." Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: Calvin Samuel / RNZ The funding would support the completion of a new East Wing - a six storey, 20,000 square metre facility due to open by the end of the year. Clinical services would begin moving into the building from April 2026. The new wing would house acute and specialist services, including the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, maternity, neonatal, and radiology services. "It will increase the number of patient spaces to 151 - an additional 55 to current capacity - and provide a total of 34 laboratory workstations. It has also been designed with future expansion in mind," Brown said. "The East Wing Building will also include a modern acute assessment unit, a primary birthing unit, an Integrated Operations Centre, a rooftop helipad, and a tūpapaku viewing room - a reflection of a more culturally responsive and patient-focused model of care." The total budget for the new wing was now more than $460 million. Taranaki Base Hospital. Photo: Google Maps Brown said the new development would go some way to combating the 'post code lottery' affecting health services delivery in Taranaki. "I know there's been the story around radiology x-ray wait lists. I'm please to confirm, as of yesterday, that wait list that was 6000 x-rays and radiology reports in March that had been delayed is down to two. That's the wait list in Taranaki reported on by RNZ earlier this year." APEX represents 1500 medical imaging technologist nation-wide has said it was concerned whether radiology services in would be fully staffed because of existing shortages. Brown could not make a firm commitment on that. "That's part of the process Health New Zealand is going through as they work through the budgets, staffing and resources to make sure as this building is commissioned in April next year it's able to provide the services this building is designed to deliver." Health NZ senior responsible officer for the project, Rosemary Clements, said the funding boost was essential. "If the money didn't come through, then we would've had to look at things we wouldn't have actually been able to kit out and finish, and that wouldn't have been good for the model of care or patient flow within the hospital," Clements said. "If we didn't get it, we would've had to have less services, less build, less kit out and that would've meant we'd have to straddle two buildings which would've been really inefficient." Clements said the new wing would be state of the art as envisaged. "Down here on the ground floor, is all the radiology including MRI, CT - all things radiology. One floor up, which is the first floor and where the ambulance bay will be, it is the Emergency Department and the AU - acute assessment unit - above that we've got the laboratory, ICU and all things maternity, antenatal, post natal, birthing all of those things." The bed counts in the ED, AU and ICU would all grow. Clements said the new East Wing would be fully-integrated with the wards completed in 2013. "On every floor we go across with bridges, so they are now together it's a flow, for example if you're in ED you look out the window and you can see the theatre, so that's how close it is for acute people to get to theatre." "I feel really privileged that I was asked to do this. It's a great way at this stage of my career to be able to give back to the community and I'll be as excited as anyone in Taranaki to open it."
