Remarkables Park forge ahead with medical centre plans

Remarkables Park and Queenstown Medical Centre forge ahead with plans for integrated medical services facility

Queenstown's Remarkables Park Ltd (RPL) and the Queenstown Medical Centre (QMC) are forging ahead with plans for an integrated medical services facility on a site fully zoned for Hospitals and Healthcare Services in the 150-hectare Remarkables Park Zone.

RPL's co-director Alastair Porter today (March 3) announced plans for a multi-million-dollar, large scale, modern, integrated medical facility starting at 3200sqm but with capacity to more than double in size.

RPL said that in 2009 a resource consent had already been granted for a hospital and medical centre within the Remarkables Park Zone. The now proposed facility was a modification of the earlier facility recognising changing healthcare demands. They said the integrated facility would provide a wide range of medical service providers.

It will incorporate radiology services run by Pacific Radiology, owners of Otago Radiology. James Fulton of Otago Radiology said "it is committed to providing a comprehensive radiology service to the Central Otago community and welcomes the opportunity to work with Remarkables Park in the planning for the provision of these services to be included in this new integrated medical facility".

Queenstown Medical Centre will offer 'across the board' medical services including observation beds and a fully-accredited accident and emergency clinic. Within the new campus Queenstown's first specialist suites will cater for orthopaedic and surgical consultants. Full integration with pharmacists and physiotherapists will provide a new level of medical services to the Wakatipu community.

A consortium of local and national surgical service providers will be involved in a purpose designed theatre facility. Initially a two-theatre day-stay hospital will cater for most surgical specialities with more complex services added at a later stage as demand grows. Recovery and overnight facilities will significantly increase the complexity of operations able to be provided in Queenstown.

Dr Hans Raetz of Queenstown Medical Centre said the Skin Institute was also moving to the new site, introducing its current surgical workload into the state-of-the-art theatres. He also said a new Medical Spa would continue to provide the highest standard of services in cosmetic medicine and cosmetic surgery.

"The integrated facility will be part of a Queenstown Health Campus at Remarkables Park which will also be capable of housing a pharmacy and dental facilities, with Southern Communities Laboratory also able to move into purpose built facilities on site," he said.

The Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago has expressed interest in developing teaching facilities for medical students within this health campus; in keeping with a worldwide shift to teaching undergraduate medical students and early graduates in community settings.

RPL said the company was delighted to be announcing the development to provide improved healthcare services to the Queenstown region in conjunction with QMC and other specialist providers.

"We have an outstanding site available that will initially be accessed from an extension of Hawthorne Drive which will be complemented in the future by the Eastern Access Road which is currently being developed. This road will join Remarkables Park to the northern Frankton Flats and the State Highway-Ladies Mile close to the Queenstown Garden Centre," said Mr Porter.

"We've worked towards providing a facility that will best serve the needs and wishes of the growing district, including exploring options to provide improved maternity services and work alongside aged care providers on an adjoining site.

"There has been much debate over the past two years about the provision of public health services in Queenstown and the surrounding district, so we have left the option open for public facilities to take advantage of the scale of what we're proposing on a flexible site.

"We've kept the Southern District Health Board fully appraised of our plans and have made it clear to them that they have that option."

Dr Raetz said that while the private facility would "stand on its own two feet", it would make sense for there to be sustainable integrated private and public services within the same Health Campus.

"Workforce synergy and utilisation of auxiliary services such as radiology, CT, laboratory and pharmacy are all integral to the delivery of health care at all levels. Outpatient clinics currently provided by Queenstown Medical Centre cover 26 specialities and could easily be augmented with public appointments in the new facility, greatly enhancing private and public access for our community," he said.

Dr Raetz said that knowing the RP site was zoned for hospital facilities and that the site and buildings would be designed to enable future extension were all "significant advantages."

Dr Raetz said it was hoped the new facility could open by mid-2013.

RPL said it was confident that a Public/Private partnership in a new health centre at Remarkables Park would be totally in line with the government's policy direction of 'Better, sooner, more convenient healthcare'.

Mr Porter said the policy recognised the reality -- now further emphasized by the Christchurch earthquake -- that the government did not have unlimited funds and there was significant national benefit in leveraging private capital to fund public facilities.

He said Remarkables Park was committed to the Queenstown community and was making sure the facility and site was designed to enable expansion as demand for health services in the district increased.

"We expect a facility of this quality will give older residents the confidence to stay longer in the district, which will in time change our demographic and lead to more demand for health services, which this large site will be able to expand to accommodate."