Agreement reached on CHB bed closure

An agreement has been reached over a proposed hospital bed closure in Central Hawke’s Bay over the Christmas period.

CHB residents are celebrating a win for the district, after local doctors protested the planned shutdown of the CHB Health Centre’s ward.

After four doctors working from the health centre went public with their dismay over the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board’s decision — and the lack of any consultation — CHB Mayor Alex Walker and the CHB Health Liaison Group entered the fray, meeting with the HBDHB last Thursday to discuss the short-term bed closure. At the meeting the groups reached an agreement, with the DHB agreeing to defer the temporary closure.

HBDHB chief executive Kevin Snee said he recognised that engagement with the community could have been a lot better and had agreed, as a gesture of goodwill, to defer the temporary bed closures.

“We are now looking to the future and will be working with the CHB District Council and Health Liaison Group to work together to design health services in the area.

“Planning for this will begin next year,” Dr Snee said.

Mayor Alex Walker said she was very pleased with the outcome and was looking forward to working with the district health board and enhancing the relationship between the organisations.

Chair of the CHB Health Liaison Group Ian Sharp said the group would be working hard to develop and design services that would “futureproof the needs of the Central Hawke’s Bay community into the future”.