The work we are doing to reshape the Southern health system – so care is more accessible, coordinated and equitable – is certainly not all about bricks and mortar. More important by far are our people, and their systems and processes for delivering care.
All the same, this month we do have some milestones to celebrate that are very much about our physical structures.
The growing teams responsible for the New Dunedin Hospital have moved from a small room in the Children’s Pavilion into a new office on Castle St. Planning and design work is intensifying, and the process is beginning for the enormous task of preparing the site for redevelopment.
The activity in the office is both exciting, and a reminder of the significance of the task the teams from the DHB and Ministry of Health have ahead of them.
This month we are also looking forward to celebrating the official opening of the upgrade of Lakes District hospital, with a new Emergency Department, CT scanner and refurbished spaces. Thank you to all our patients and staff who managed around the disruption to their spaces – we
hope now you can enjoy the result. Photos to come in the next issue of Better Health!
We are looking forward to sharing more about these developments and others as the Commissioner team travels around the district in the coming weeks – see the dates and locations in this issue of Better Health.
We’ll be providing an update on the progress we’re making, the key strategies going forward and the work that’s underway to truly join the dots in the health care system to create a district wide network of care. These meetings will be final forums in our roles as a Commissioner team for Southern DHB, please join us.
The New Dunedin Hospital team will also be holding a public meeting in Dunedin, and again we hope to see you there. The exact time and place is yet to be confirmed, but please keep an eye out for further information.
Kathy Grant
Kathy Grant
