$100m upgrade planned for cutting-edge Wakefield Hospital
Most of Wellington’s largest private hospital will be demolished to make way for a $100 million development that will give patients access to state-of-the-art facilities.
Plans have been unveiled for a major redevelopment of Wakefield Hospital in Newtown, which will bring a ‘‘hotel feel and first-class services’’ to the centre by 2021.
Acurity Health Group director Dr Richard Grenfell said the new hospital would offer patients from central New Zealand access to some of the most advanced medical services and treatment in the country – which was good news for patients awaiting elective surgery.
‘‘Private hospitals in New Zealand do more than 50 per cent of elective surgery, and if it wasn’t for private hospitals, I think the public system would be in real strife. We sub-contract a lot of work from public hospitals, particularly cardiac work.’’
Grenfell said Wakefield was yellow-stickered after the Christchurch earthquakes, and Wellington City Council gave building owners until 2022 to fix seismic issues.
Acurity intends to demolish 12 of of the existing 16 buildings – including the existing facade – and build one new building on the west side of the site. The redevelopment was really ‘‘the only way forward’’, he added.
‘‘It’s sad the old facade has to go, and we have looked very closely at it, and it’s really not viable to strengthen the hospital.’’
The newer, central part of the hospital will remain, as well as some accommodation villas and a generator room. The rest will be knocked down.
Built in 1929, Wakefield has had several major upgrades but this was easily the most dramatic, Grenfell said.
‘‘It will further build on Wakefield’s long-standing tradition of seamlessly providing care with consultant specialist and support services all delivered on the same site.
‘‘There will be no other in New Zealand like this.’’
Its eight operating theatres in the new hospital will be significantly larger than conventional theatres, and include the latest technology, Grenfell said.
Subject to resource consent approval, construction on the sixstorey development will begin in mid to late 2018, with the new facility up and running by 2021.
If approved, construction will happen in three stages.
Stage one will focus on parking, medical imaging, and consulting suites, then stage two will see work on peri-operative services and inpatient rooms.
Rehabilitation and support facilities will follow for stage three.
The staged development would let the hospital continue functioning during demolition and construction, Grenfell said.
‘‘We’re going to build on empty land to start with ... and will be able to keep clinical work going. I don’t think there will be much disruption at all.’’
Acurity’s nearby Bowen Hospital would be able to pick up any patients who did need to be rescheduled, he said.
Acurity would work closely with the community before construction began to work through any concerns.
In May, Vital Healthcare Property Trust signed a deal with Acurity to buy Wakefield and Bowen Hospital. Grenfell said the $100m development would be jointly funded by both parties.