Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Minister of Health

12 May 2017 Media Statement

$9.8m expansion for Waitakere Hospital

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today marked the completion of Waitemata DHB’s $9.8 million expansion at Waitakere Hospital.

“This ambitious $9.8 million development has transformed Waitakere Hospital into a state-of-the-art facility for this community,” says Dr Coleman.

“The development includes a new paediatric zone, acute mental health rooms, eleven new treatment spaces and two specialty isolation rooms for infection control.”

The number of patients presenting at Waitakere ED has nearly doubled from 28,000 in 2009 to almost 52,000 last year.

Waitemata is the largest and fastest growing DHB in New Zealand, the current population is at 598,000 and is set to grow by 90,000 by 2025.

“These new facilities will ensure that the hospital is able to keep pace with increased population while enabling Waitakere Hospital to provide faster, high quality integrated care for patients,” says Dr Coleman.

“The dedicated paediatric and mental health zones will enable further streamlined assessment and treatment and a more comfortable and appropriate environment for patients and their families.

“The two new negative pressure isolation rooms will support staff to identify, contain and manage people presenting with infectious diseases safely, while providing important capacity across Auckland in the event of an outbreak.”

These developments are supported by an extra $51 million in new money this year, taking the DHB’s total funding to $1.5 billion for 2016/17. Over the last eight years the DHB has received an extra $409 million in funding.”

Notes to Editor

The refurbished ED is the latest in a series of services and facilities to improve access to health care for the west Auckland community. Other initiatives include:

• The $3.682 million Waitakere Additional Medical Beds project completed in April 2017
• The development of primary birthing unit options currently in progress
• The upgrading and expansion of radiology service at Waitakere due for completion in 2017
• The refurbishment of Waitakere Hospital’s maternity unit completed in 2015
• The opening of an onsite pharmacy at Waitakere Hospital in 2015

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