ROTORUA and Taupo's new hospitals may be finished five years earlier than originally planned.
The two-phase redevelopment project, estimated to cost $109 million, will see the hospitals extensively rebuilt. Changes include a new way of caring for patients in a "48-hour health shop" attached to Rotorua's emergency department
and a rebuild of Taupo hospital.
The redevelopment was initially expected to stretch over a decade but the Lakes District Health Board now says construction could be finished as early as 2012.
Communications officer Sue Wilkie said the timing of the project had not been cut in half but it was possible design suggestions could reduce construction time.
The board's initial estimation of how long the redevelopments would take was also "relatively conservative" because planning for such projects could take a long time and there could be delays, she said.
The development team started work on the design brief last month ahead of the architect, Haitham Alrubayee, creating his designs. Hospital user groups will have input into the design before it is finalised.
Featuring eight beds, Rotorua's new "health shop" would be a place for patients needing tests and specialist monitoring for up to 48 hours. It is scheduled for completion by mid-2010.
Other changes include expanding Rotorua's emergency department and moving the overcrowded outpatient department to a new single storey site next to the emergency department. The board's intensive care and coronary care units, featuring 22 beds, will also be relocated close to the emergency department.
Rotorua Hospital will also get a new chemotherapy unit and Taupo Hospital will be refurbished.
