Hospital wing planned

INVESTMENT: The Jane Winstone retirement village.

The Jane Winstone retirement village on St John's Hill is getting a fully-equipped hospital wing.

Ryman Healthcare, which operates the complex, confirmed this week the wing would be operational next year.

Simon Challies, Ryman Healthcare managing director, said design work was already under way on the 25-bed wing.

"It will be a single storey building on an existing piece of land at the village."

He said staffing for the wing would increase when demand for its service grew.

"We've already added more staff because we are now offering hospital level care in the existing care centre. We've recruited registered nurses and we will build staff numbers as demand grows."

A new clinical manager will join the village this month.

As the wing will operate as a hospital care facility, qualified registered nurses will always be on site.

Mr Challies could not give an indication of the cost of the new wing but it represented a multi-million-dollar investment. It comes close on the heels of a $1 million investment restoring the Jane Winstone chapel. "It will allow the village to offer extended services for our residents and people in the wider region, so we think it is a great investment," he said.

The village opened eight years ago and currently offers hospital level care in its existing rest home wing. The new building will be a stand-alone facility.

"We're doing it in response to the growing demand for this type of care. Wanganui, like everywhere else, has an ageing population and the need for good quality hospital care is growing," Mr Challies said.

When the Jane Winstone complex was developed, original plans included a hospital wing but these were shelved. It was not a company decision but the Whanganui District Health Board would not give Ryman the contract to have a care facility as part of the complex.