Australasian consultancy firm Sapere Research Group has won a Ministry of Health tender to advise how Lakes District Hospital, at Frankton, might be run by a local trust.
Sapere's consultations with ''key local stakeholders'', including the hospital's doctors, come as concerns are raised about the SDHB's ballooning deficit, which a leaked document describes as being in ''serious freefall''.
Queenstown health advocate Maria Cole, who will meet Sapere on Friday, said the only way the community would better deal with health issues was through greater independence.
The health board's deficit was ''pretty scary'', she said, but a local trust should still be pursued.
''That doesn't minimise the fact there will be challenges along the way but as long as we are completely dependent on the Southern DHB we are going to be at the mercy of their latest funding cuts.''
Other small centres had community health trusts, she said, but that did not mean Queenstown should follow suit.
She said the SDHB would still be required to fund public health but Queenstown should approach a joint venture partner, such as the local council or a multinational private hospital provider.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden said yesterday she had agreed to meet the Sapere representatives. She did not have a preferred governance model.
''[I] look forward to some more information as we, as in the community, consider this.''
Ms van Uden said Sapere was gathering information on the pros and cons of various governance options so the community could have an informed discussion with the SDHB.
However, the tender won by Sapere sought ''a solution that will support a study of feasibility of self-governance for Lakes District Hospital''.
Sapere will conduct interviews and gather information during May and June and is expected to report by mid-July.
A local trust running Queenstown's health services would fly in the face of recommendations from a National Health Board panel of experts in 2011.
The panel recommended Queenstown's hospital become a major ''health campus'' and demanded several improvements, but few improvements occurred. The NHB is the Health Ministry section that oversees district health boards.
