Health Dept queries hospital board plans

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34146, 6 May 1976, Page 16

Health Dept queries hospital board plans

It was essential that Christchurch had the services of a department of physical medicine, with space for administration and an outpatients department associated, the chairman of the works committee of the North Canterbury Hospital Board (Mr W. L. F. Utley) said yesterday.

Mr Utley was remarking on a letter from the Department of Health which commented on many points in the sketch plans of the Department of Physical Medicine.

The department said in the letter that it was felt that the hydrotherapy pool was too large, that there should not be a common entrance into the hospital and the department, and that the staff duty room appeared too large. There also seemed to be a large number of lavatories for patients and the special treatment area was thought too large. There were several other minor points that the Department of Health questioned. Mr Utley said that these types of services were nonexistent, and were needed at Burwood Hospital. The department should be treated as part of the Spinal Injury Unit, he said. The medical Superinten-dent-in-Chief of the board (Dr L. McH. Berry) said that most of the points that the department now questioned had been approved when the

“brief” had been sent, to them.

Mr C. F. Whitty said that it was essential that the department proceed because it would cater for patients from all over New Zealand.

Mr Utley said that one fully equipped spinal injury unit had been proposed for New Zealand, but it was then decided to have one in the South Island and one in the North Island.

“If we are going to have half a one in each island it will not be worth the effort,” he said.

The committee recommended that the board write to the Department of Health expressing concern at the delays in approving the spinal injury unit at Burwood Hospital. Mr Whitty said that many service clubs had contributed money toward the cost of equipment and building a hostel complex to comglement the unit. The money ad remained in a bank account since about 1970. He said that the letter should state that this money had been raised, and that many people were beginning to question what had happened to it. Women’s Hospital. — The

Christchurch Women’s Hospital could not be located at the Christchurch Hospital until 1986 at the earliest the works committee was told yesterday. Mr Utley said that the detailed planning committee would be asked to consider the future use of the women’s hospital, and the building of offices which could turn out to be “boxes” on their own for anyone who inherited the hospital.

Theatres. — The User Group was studying two ways of increasing operating theatre accommodation and facilities, although all options were still open. Dr Berry said that one option was to enlarge the No 3 operating suite to make five theatres in the area. The other option was to build another theatre block. However, this was expensive and the architects did not favour it.