Tauranga Hospital mental health unit given $30 million to fix building problems

Te Whare Maiangiangi - Tauranga Hospital's Mental Health Unit was given a poor rating in the Ministry Of Health's latest report. Photo / George Novak

An estimated $30 million building project to fix Tauranga Hospital's mental health unit is expected to start in July 2021 and take two years to finish.

It comes after a damming report, The Current State Assessment, was released this week highlighting the state of District Health Board infrastructure across the country - the first of its kind ever completed.

Part of the Ministry of Health's National Asset Management Programme, the report is a measure of a government focus to improve capital funding decisions, investment plans and asset management.

While Tauranga Hospital buildings are all in "very good to average condition", what's happening on the inside is not.

Only an in-patient unit and a mental health in-patient unit were assessed. The operating theatres, emergency department, and intensive care unit at Tauranga Hospital were not because they were less than 20 years old.

Using seclusion areas and patient lounges as bedrooms when demand exceeded the 24-bed capacity was one of many reasons the Bay of Plenty DHB's psychiatric unit, Te Whare Maiangiangi, had been rated poor - the ninth-lowest of 24 mental health units assessed from buildings built before 2010.

The report stated about 70 per cent of units had designs that did not provide adequate privacy, safety and therapeutic space to support different diagnoses, stage of illness, culture, gender and age.

While many units lacked consideration of cultural needs of clients, Bay of Plenty DHB had a large whānau room with outdoor access used to welcome people, something the report stated was important for New Zealand mental health facilities.

Interior maintenance at 70 per cent of the units was poor, including poor paintwork,
holes in the walls, leaks in ceilings, rippling and worn carpets and poor bathroom
facilities - however, the ministry told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend this statement did not relate to Te Whare Maiangiangi.

In response to the report's findings, DHB facilities and business operations general manager Jeff Hodson said the major new build would reflect the best-practice current model of care for patients.

"Whilst being attached to Te Whare Maiangiangi, this project is a major new build and larger than the term 'extension' suggests.

"The plans are for a new build, with an estimated budget of $30 million, reflecting a model of care using bedrooms and supporting areas around courtyards. This should rectify any deficiencies of the current mental health facility."

Money for the project was from the Ministry of Health's Wellness Budget announced in December 2019. It is still subject to ministerial approval.

Tauranga Hospital's inpatient Kaupapa Ward received an average ranking from the stocktake for blocks over 20 years old.

With 25 beds, it was reported that excess demand was causing implications for increased staff stress and risks to the quality of care.

Tauranga Hospital buildings are all in "very good to average condition". Photo / File

To sum up, lack of privacy, inadequate support for staff, poorly sized and shaped spaces for key clinical work and poor lighting in treatment areas were all problems involved in poorer scores.

"There is a wide range of design issues that affect infection control," the report stated.

"These include whether the floor, ceiling and wall-finishes are easy to clean; whether there is separation between service, patient and visitor flows; and whether there is adequate storage and waste disposal."

While the assessment predated the Covid-19 pandemic, the assessment findings contribute to ongoing work on emergency preparedness and the capacity of site wide electrical and medical gas capacity can limit the numbers of ventilators and monitoring equipment that can be operated at the same time.

However, after scoring a good to average rating, the Bay of Plenty DHB did not carry this concern due to Project Leo, which delivered a number of new buildings from 2012, Hodson said.

"These remain in very good condition and also over the last 10 years the DHB has undertaken significant capital investment in electrical and mechanical infrastructure projects."

Minister of Health Dr David Clark. Photo / File

Health Minister David Clark said governments had known for some time many buildings had serious faults but now had a comprehensive picture of the state of this vital infrastructure.

"The Government has already made a start on fixing the most pressing problems, committing a record $3.5 billion for DHB capital projects in our first three Budgets."

However, the 86-page stocktake of hospital infrastructure puts the fix-it bill at $14b over the next decade. Hodson agreed, saying the DHB would require further investment from the Government.

"The Bay of Plenty region has been an area of strong population growth over the past four to five years.

"As such, as a health system, we will need to be continuing to invest in our buildings and hospital infrastructure to accommodate population growth and changes in technology and models of care."