Hospice set to expand Cobham Dr premises

A huge increase in demand for services means Hospice Waikato is to expand its premises at a cost of $2.8 million.

Hospice Waikato has seen a 28 per cent increase in patient care during the past financial year, and a 33 per cent increase so far this financial year.

Chief executive Craig Tamblyn says they did not expect such an increase so soon, but when the hospice was built at its Cobham Drive site five years ago another phase was planned.

"We run palliative care outpatients from here - that is to save patients having to go off to the hospital - so palliative care services is about making it as easy as possible for all patients.

"But when you have a growth service you have additional demands on it. One of them was around parking and we've had to increase our number of staff, so all those different things add up to a bit of a melting pot - how do we meet the needs?"

The expansion will see one stand-alone building demolished, and another added to the existing buildings with parking underneath.

"It is about making it more intuitive, natural, because being mindful that a large portion of people that come on to the site are stressed, they're upset. It is about looking at it from their perspective and asking how we can make it as easy as possible for [them] the use these services."

Beneath the building will be car parking while the ground floor is destined to house counselling staff, doctors, new counselling rooms, a patient activities area and a redeveloped wellness centre.

"On the next floor will be administration, plus an education suite. Our seminar room holds education, making it that real hub of patient and volunteers."

The idea behind the renovations, as well as providing more parking, is to create a hub that can be branched out from into other Waikato communities.

"About 90 per cent of our palliative care patients don't come on to the site, to go into our inpatient beds. We have staff that keep them at home, but to do that we've got a shed full of equipment, staff who have cars."

Alastair Calder, chairman of the Hospice Waikato board, says the organisation services the Waikato region, including the Coromandel, Taupo, Kaimais and Mamaku.

"The vision is to have a strong hub here and we go out and we create little supports in those areas with everything being managed from here," Mr Calder says.

Hospice Waikato services are free.