Old Masterton nurses' home deemed quake risk

These buildings date from the early part of the last century and are earthquake prone.Eric Sinclair, Wairarapa DHB

Wairarapa District Health Board staff this week moved out of a 1914 former nurses' home, deemed to be a risk in an earthquake.

The building housed community nursing services, many doctors' offices, the nursing educators' offices, and some administration staff and the clinical library. While the building is historically interesting, it does not have a Historic Places Trust listing as it is not unique.

Another building also deemed an earthquake risk is the Nightingale Ward from the second Masterton Hospital built in 1908, which does have an Historic Places Trust listing and has already been vacated. That building for many years housed the Wairarapa Hospital Board offices, then later Financial Services before Wairarapa Hospital was built in 2006.

Wairarapa DHB will not be spending any money on remedial work on either of those buildings, as they will transfer to the Office of Treaty Settlements.

Community nursing services have moved from the 1914 building to Hessey House in Worksop Rd, as they do not need to be next to the hospital, while other staff from that building who do need to be accommodated on site are moving to the DHB building behind the hospital, renamed the Clinical Support Building.

Corporate office staff who do not need to be located on site have moved to the new Corporate Office in Russell St to make room for clinical and support staff who need to remain on site, including the human resources team.

Chief financial officer Eric Sinclair said there were commercially sensitive lease costs for the Community Health Services base in Worksop Rd and the DHB Corporate Office in Russell St, but it was not an option to continue to occupy the old nurses' home.

"Other than the lease costs for the two new premises, there are additional costs that will be incurred, such as additional telephone and computer network connections. However, the risks associated with leaving staff in the earthquake-prone buildings outweighs these additional costs that will need to be found within the DHB's existing budgets."

Within the next three to four months, a new warehouse-style building will be constructed on site, next to the Clinical Support building. That will accommodate the consumable warehouse, the engineering workshop, occupation therapy equipment, cleaning services and the laundry depot.

"Over time, this was the best option from a business continuity perspective as well as being a better financial option," Mr Sinclair said. "The engineering workshop is currently based in the old Masterton Hospital kitchen area and the consumables warehouse is in a separate building adjacent. Both of these buildings date from the early part of the last century and are earthquake prone and it's vital to have these services on site in a major emergency. We could not have them located on the other side of the river."