The Southern District Heath Board has known for years that many of the buildings in the Wakari precinct have serious condition issues, and clinicians have long said many are inadequate.
A report to the former commissioner team which oversaw the SDHB until board elections last year was released to the Otago Daily Times under the Official Information Act.
It examined two options — renovations to four of the six buildings at Wakari deemed the most in need of work, or redevelopment of the whole Wakari site.
The second option would take considerably longer, ‘‘and this would seem inappropriate in the context of urgently needing to address inadequacies with the site as it is currently configured’’.
The first option, based on a 2017 report on Wakari by engineering consultant Beca, was likely to cost about $40 million, the report said.
Although it was ‘‘marginal’’ that the Wakari development would meet Treasury’s single- stage business case funding criteria, the report writer believed it could succeed if proposed, rather than being referred through the more rigorous five-stage process.
Consultancy firm Sapere was subsequently commissioned for a further assessment of Wakari.
It found many buildings were unfit for purpose, potentially created dangers for patients, staff and visitors, and many had serious maintenance issues.
Also released to the ODT was feedback from the mental health leadership team given to Sapere’s researchers for their report, compiled last year.
Sapere found ‘‘total consensus’’ that Wakari was dated, inaccessible, uncomfortable, unlikely to reduce the use of restraint or seclusion, and did not meet Ministry of Health guidelines for treatment of children.
‘‘People felt the inpatient buildings on the Wakari site were not fit for purpose, poorly maintained, unsafe, cramped and too small, were not a therapeutic environment and did not have wellbeing and comfort as a focus for a healthy way of recovering,’’ the report said.
‘‘People coming into inpatient areas found the environment distressing, sad and dilapidated.’’
Last year, WorkSafe conducted a ‘‘pro-active safety assessment’’ of Wakari after an unspecified incident; the agency found the SDHB had good strategic risk plans in place at the hospital.
Despite the long-standing and deep-seated concerns about Wakari, progress has been slow to address them.
After it received the Sapere report, SDHB commissioners requested a follow-up report from staff but the onset of Covid-19 has resulted in almost all SDHB work other than pandemic prevention being postponed.
Health Minister and Dunedin North MP David Clark has previously said, in the context of being asked about Wakari, that ‘‘this Government is committed to fixing up our neglected hospitals, or building new ones where required.’’
Money for capital works for mental health facilities was set aside in the Government’s response to the inquiry it commissioned into mental health.
SDHB chief executive Chris Fleming said the organisation was aware parts of Wakari were not fit for purpose.
‘‘Like the hospital rebuild, this will need to be considered in the context of longer-term thinking, including, potentially, how we might develop broader health facilities such as community health hubs in the vicinity of the new hospital, and what the future of the Wakari site will be.
‘‘This is a complex issue, with no easy or quick solutions.’’
