Huge hospital upgrade puts Kaitaia ahead of other towns

A $9.3 million redevelopment of Kaitaia Hospital will make it the envy of any similar town in New Zealand, Northland District Health Board chair Lynette Stewart says.
Many Far North residents have been predicting the end of the hospital after 24-hour surgery was stopped at Kaitaia in 2003.
But the DHB is spending $9.3 million upgrading Kaitaia Hospital, including a renovated maternity unit, new accident department and a surgical unit capable of handling twice as many people as the existing unit.
Concept plans for the redevelopment were presented at the Northland DHB's monthly meeting, which was being held in Kaitaia today.
Advertisements calling for expressions of interest from building contractors will be placed shortly and local firms will be encouraged to take part in this process, Kaitaia Hospital operations manager Neta Smith said.
The plans include a renovated maternity unit with a birthing pool and an outdoor area; a new accident department with a dedicated resuscitation room and treatment area; radiology relocated to the ground floor next to outpatients, the accident department and general practitioners; a new after-hours facility next to the accident department; and a modern surgery unit and recovery area.
Other features include; GP and outpatients consulting rooms with rooms designed for specialist consultations such as colposcopy; a plaster room; a modern isolation room in the ward; additional ensuites in the ward so patients do not need to travel down the corridor, without the loss of any inpatient beds; and improved working area for nurses, including treatment room, storage and office space.
Meetings to discuss the plans can be arranged for interested groups on request and a public forum to display and discuss the plans will be arranged at Kaitaia Hospital in June.
Northland DHB will also issue regular updates to keep people informed as the project progresses, Ms Smith said.
The first stage of the project will be the maternity ward, followed by GP clinics, outpatients, radiology and the accident and emergency department.
This will be followed by the refurbishment of ward one and work on the current day surgery layout to improve process flows and patient throughput, she said.
"It is hoped that the entire redevelopment project will be completed by the end of next year, subject to contractor and resource availability," Ms Smith said.
Ms Stewart said the redevelopment will give the people of Kaitaia a "wonderful hospital that will be the envy of many in other centres of a similar size."
"The Ministry of Health has recognised the importance of Kaitaia Hospital by making a significant investment in its future that will enable it to meet the health needs of the people of the Far North for many years to come," she said.
"Northland DHB is proud of Kaitaia Hospital and delighted to be able to work with the community to carry out this redevelopment project. It will be momentous when we get the project off the drawing board and on to the site."
Northland Health chief executive Karyn McPeake said the redevelopment demonstrated the DHB's commitment to the continued provision and improvement of Kaitaia-based health services.
"We have our sights set firmly on the future and the outlook is bright for the people of the Far North," Ms McPeake said.
"People using the hospital's health services will notice a marked improvement in the hospital environment once the work is complete. We are very pleased to be part of a project that will bring such benefit to people living in the Far North."