Thousands more scans, day surgeries, and specialist appointments will soon be possible in Dunedin each year as its long awaited outpatient building is officially opened.
The new Dunedin Hospital project has faced years of setbacks and cost overruns with a scaled back inpatient building announced in January last year following protests over potential cuts.
But the official opening of the outpatient building on Friday marked a major milestone with a pre-dawn blessing and the name Whare Mātūtū gifted by mana whenua representatives.
The new Dunedin Hospital outpatient building will be opened to the public in October.
Supplied / Health New Zealand
‘Once-in-a-generation investment’
Health New Zealand chief executive Dr Dale Bramley.
Supplied / Te Whatu Ora
Health New Zealand chief executive Dr Dale Bramley said it was one of the largest health infrastructure projects in the country’s history.
“This is a once-in-a-generation investment in healthcare, education, and research that will benefit patients, whānau, staff, and communities throughout Otago and Southland for decades to come,” he said.
Sprawling across five storeys and 15,000 spare metres, Bramley said the outpatients building was built within its budget – about $440 million – and would begin to provide clinical care to the public from October.
Once fully open, it was expected to support about 1700 more day surgeries, 13,300 additional medical imaging appointments, and 2700 additional medical day stay appointments each year.
Health New Zealand southern group director of operations Craig Ashton says the exact opening date will be shared with the public soon.
RNZ / Tess Brunton
Health New Zealand southern group director of operations Craig Ashton said a significant amount of work was underway to install equipment, train staff, commission the building and prepare to welcome patients.
Some of those attending the opening.
RNZ / Tess Brunton
This moment had been years in the making but the improvements would help them better respond to the growing demand for healthcare services across the southern region, he said.
“This building will enable us to deliver care in a modern, purpose-built facility, providing greater capacity, improved patient flow, and enhanced clinical facilities that support contemporary models of care.
One of the day surgery rooms.
RNZ / Tess Brunton
It would bring specialist outpatient and diagnostic services under the same roof, offering children’s and women’s health, radiology and imaging services, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, respiratory medicine, physiotherapy, hand therapy, day surgery, and procedure rooms.
“Over time, the additional capacity will support improved access to specialist appointments, diagnostic imaging, elective procedures, and cancer care, benefiting patients across the Southern district.”
Other features of the building included co-located radiology and imaging services, coordinated clinics planned centrally and shared across services, and larger purpose-build day surgery theatres and procedure rooms.
There would also be self-service patient check-in, digital wayfinding and queue management as well as reducing the reliance on paper records with electronic referrals, bookings and prescribing, and a South Island regional clinical portal to share electronic records.
Bramley said the digital infrastructure would mean clinicians have faster access to the information they need to deliver care and it would improve navigation, communiation and reduce paperwork for patients.
The outpatient building is fully electric and targeting a five-star Green Star rating.
Simeon Brown speaking at the opening.
RNZ / Tess Brunton
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the new outpatient building was a critical investment in modernising healthcare for more than 350,000 people across the southern region.
“It has been purpose-built to support modern models of care, greater use of digital technology and more efficient clinical services, improving both the patient experience and the way our staff work,” he said.
Technology was a big focus in the building with a digital network built on more than 150 kilometres of cabling and more than 300 wifi access points, he said.
“This is the digital backbone of a modern hospital, and it is already shaping how we build elsewhere.
“The standards and approach developed here have informed the Nelson and Whangārei redevelopments, reducing duplication and delivering greater consistency across the health system.”
RNZ / Tess Brunton
About 3000 people have worked on the new Dunedin Hospital.
Some of the outpatient services would not relocate to the new building until early 2027 with more staff being recruited.
“Every milestone of the New Dunedin Hospital project brings us closer to a modern, fit-for-purpose hospital for the region,” he said.
The MRI machine at the new outpatient building.
RNZ / Tess Brunton
The exact opening date would be shared before the first patients walked through the doors.
The scaled-back inpatient building, which was an 11-storey, 72,000 square metre facility with an expanded emergency department, and 351 beds with the ability to expand to 404 beds over time – was on track to open in 2031.
An overhead bridge would link the two buildings.
Work on the inpatient building is underway. It’s expected to open in 2031.
RNZ / Tess Brunton