Community invited to new Grey health facilities update

West Coasters are being invited to an update on the new Grey Hospital and adjoining Integrated Family Health Centre [IFHC] in Greymouth this Thursday night.

In May this year the Government committed to a new 60-bed Grey Hospital and 40 room Integrated Family Health Centre.

The current facilities were built mid last-century in the manner of base hospitals of their time. Long corridors stretch between departments, some parts of the building have had to be closed because they are not deemed suitably earthquake-strengthened.

Orthopaedic surgeon Mr Pradu Dayaram is the chair of the Clinical Leaders Group in charge of clinical decisions around the project. He says the existing building design reflected the way care was delivered at that time.

“Modern models of care are different. Healthcare is delivered by teams of professionals working together, with care centred on patient needs. We now design for long-life, loose fit to allow for different ways of working over time. The new facility will incorporate community pharmacy onsite and an integrated general practice, among the usual hospital facilities.

“We’ve been working closely with the architects and project managers to ensure we have the right spaces allocated to ensure good workflow and best practice. I’m confident we are going to end up with a world class rural base hospital and integrated family health centre that will be future-proofed and a great working space,” Mr Dayaram says.

Along with Mr Dayaram, West Coast District Health Board Chairman Peter Ballantyne and Chief Executive David Meates will give an update on project progress and timeframes, share the preliminary concept plans and outline opportunities for public input.

The meeting will be held from 7:00pm – 8:30pm Thursday night at the Grey High School Hall on High St. Everyone’s welcome.

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