Issue2

How suitable is the existing hospital?

The present Lakes Hospital sits on 2.9ha of land, perfectly situated adjacent to St John's Ambulance services and close to the airport for urgent airlift patient transfers. it is also geographically well situated to the wide Queenstown population spread.

In researching the history of the site, the Trust has learned that it has been designated a hospital zone since at least 1864. And the land has been in public ownership for at least that long. Only a small portion of the site has been developed thus far and it is clear there is enough scope for expansion to suit Queenstown's needs for the next 50 years.

Last year, the DHB began exploring potential new sites to re-locate the hospital - with a view to a smaller site, and a multi-storey building. The Trust does not understand why this was a matter of consideration or priority for the DHB.

Having learned of this potential plan to re-locate the hospital from the CEO at the DHB, the Trust undertook an architectural review of the Lakes Hospital. The building is 20 years old. Is it ready to be scrapped? Can it be refurbished to meet the modern needs of a regional hospital?

We engaged an experienced hospital architect to take a look. Here's what we learned..................

1. Research overseas shows that single level hospitals deliver beneficial therapeutic benefits to recovering patients - having visual access to gardens and nature. High rise hospitals are a necessary compromise in high density urban environments. They are not necessary in regional locations if a more generous parcel of land is available.  Queenstown already has the land - so why would we want to move to a compromised site?

2. The architects of the present hospital showed great foresight in its design. Its heating system for example adopts a technology that is only jsut being more widely adopted today. It draws water from Lake Wakatipu and passes it through a heat exchanger for distributing through the hospital. The RMA would unlikely approve such a system today.

3. As a further example of the future proofing, the original architects built walk-through tunnels to house all the services underneath the hospital.

It is the Trust's view that the site and the hospital are not the issue. There has been little or no capital expenditure on the hospital since it was built. We believe the opportunity for upgrading the existing facility is where the DHB should have its focus - not pursuing alternative locations.

Folllowing extensive lobbying on this issue, the Trust is pleased to advise that at this stage the DHB appear to have abandoned their quest to relocate the hospital. The latest proposal contained in their consultation document (released on March1st, 2010)  is suggesting a concept that involves extensive redevelopment of Lakes District Hospital. Whilst the proposal islacking in detail with many issues requiring clarification, the Trust is nevertheless heartened by this positive change in direction.