Hawke’s Bay Hospital increases capacity with opening of new 28-bed unit

A new 28-bed interim inpatient unit has officially opened at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, providing additional capacity to help relieve pressure on the hospital’s emergency department and existing wards.

It is the first of five such units being delivered across New Zealand as part of a nationwide programme.

Health Minister Simeon Brown officially opened the facility on Monday, with the first patient expected to be admitted on Tuesday.

The fully staffed unit will accommodate short-stay surgical patients and those requiring surgical assessment, bringing the hospital’s overall capacity to 381 beds, according to Health NZ Group Director of Operations Hawke’s Bay David Warrington.

Speaking at the opening, Brown said the hospital had needed additional capacity for a long time.

“It's going to particularly help to speed up access for the surgical needs of the community and play a really important role in reducing pressure on the emergency department as well.”

Warrington said the hospital had faced increasing demand and capacity constraints over several years.

“This extra 28 beds will certainly help with ensuring that there's less chance of people's surgery being cancelled,” he said.

Warrington acknowledged cancellations and postponements could still occur during busy periods, but said the additional beds would also help move patients out of the emergency department sooner.

All positions required to operate the unit have been filled, including 3.8 full-time equivalent (FTE) senior nursing roles, 28 FTE registered nursing roles and 6.4 FTE healthcare assistant roles.

Warrington said 13 staff recruited to the unit had not previously worked at Hawke’s Bay Hospital.

“We had an overwhelming response in terms of the people that wanted to work here, so we had more people apply than we had positions.”

He said the opening was a significant milestone for clinical staff who had worked for years in a hospital facing capacity constraints.

“I'm really proud of our staff and the work that they've done to get to this point.”

The approximately 1,000-square-metre facility was constructed using modular components manufactured in Auckland and transported to Hastings for assembly.

Despite its interim designation, the building has a 50-year design lifespan and meets the same clinical, building and safety standards as permanent hospital facilities.

Health NZ Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley said the unit had been constructed in nine months.

“Hawke’s Bay Hospital needs extra inpatient capacity right now and it’s very positive to see this new modular unit constructed in just nine months,” he said.

The national Interim Inpatient Unit Programme will provide 140 additional beds, with the remaining units planned for Nelson, Middlemore, Waikato and Wellington Regional hospitals.

The opening follows other investments at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, including a $35.8 million radiology expansion and refurbishment and construction of a $44.8 million cancer centre.

However, there is still no confirmed construction start date for the proposed multi-storey acute services building, which forms a major part of the hospital’s planned redevelopment.

The proposed building would accommodate key services, including the emergency department, intensive care, high dependency, coronary care, maternity and special care baby units.

Early reference concept designs were released in September, but the final scope, design and delivery arrangements remain subject to further planning and approval.

Asked when construction of the acute services building could begin, Brown said no timeframe could yet be provided.

“We can't give an exact timeframe as to when construction will begin.”

Pressed on whether work could start within the next year if National were re-elected, Brown declined to give an indication, saying he did not want to raise expectations that could not be met.

He said further business case and design work was needed to understand the complexities of redeveloping an operational hospital campus before decisions could be made on costs and timelines.

Brown said National remained committed to the redevelopment, alongside planned hospital rebuilds in Tauranga and Palmerston North.