Six-Storey Ward Block Planned

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30530, 27 August 1964, Page 8

Six-Storey Ward Block Planned

The Health Department ' had approved the preparation of full sketch plans for the six-storey ward block for Christchurch Hospital, the North Canterbury Hospital Board was told yesterday. Mr L. A. Bennett, chairman of the works committee and the rebuilding-planning group showed to the board floor plans for the new building. He said there would be two wards with 100 beds for children on the lower storeys, and four above them with 68 beds on each—a total capacity of 372 beds. Plans for the boilerhouse and workshops block in St, Asaph street had been approved, and the board was waiting for approval to accept one of the tenders. On September 3 proposals would be sent forward to the department for the. clinical services block, which would be built behind the hew ward block. After the department had scrutinised them and compared with estimates from other hospitals, .the board would get authority tp go ahead with that, too. Mr Bennett said the new ward block would have an adequate number of singlebed rooms, as well as five-bed wards. He said the same number of nurses cotild cope with 34 patients as with 30, so the new block had been designed with 34-bed wards in what had previously been considered space for 30. Prototype Wards

The children’s wards had been specially designed, and the Health Department considered them the prototype for the rest of New Zealand. They contained the best principles of overseas hospitals, and the department had been generous in its approvals. Mr Bennett said the authors of the scheme felt they had devised extremely efficient children’s wards containing everything to provide the best treatment. There had been no set-backs from the department in providing all services. He said that the new ward block, unlike Princess Margaret Hospital,, would have removable interior partition walls. Princess Margaret Hospital’s walls were practically all bearing walls made of concrete. The new Christchurch Hospital block could be “completely gutted” and reorganised.

Another advantage of the new ward block was that the amount of walking required of nurses would be cut by one : third. This had been proved by the lady superintendent (Mrs E. M. F. Chambers) who had stretched silk threads to measure the distances.

Mr Bennett said the chimney on the boilerhouse block would be 180 ft high. There would be no flying-ash problem because special ash-hand-ling equipment would be installed. Dr. L. C. L. Averill, chairman of the board, said Mr Bennett’s planning group had done a job that was little short of magnificent. The result had been splendid cooperation, from the Health Department and the board would be able to call tenders two years • sooner than would otherwise have been possible.