Hutt Valley DHB leaders knew about quake-prone hospital building in March

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Senior executives at Hutt Valley District Health Board knew two months ago a seismic report found the hospital’s main building met just 15% of the new building standard.

While the public and most staff were told the Heretaunga building was earthquake-prone on Tuesday, chief financial officer Mathew​ Parr said he first learned from the report on March 8.

Leaders wanted further advice from engineers about the latest draft rating on the building – home to a quarter of the region’s hospital beds – before sharing it more widely, he said. Those with earthquake ratings of less than 34% are considered earthquake prone.

It was the first seismic report since the new standards took effect in 2017, with the most recent report on the building done in 2011, Parr said.

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“It’s fair to say the report was surprising to us and we’ve taken it very seriously. We immediately commissioned additional engineering advice.”

The Ministry of Health and incoming Health New Zealand were told about the report in early April, Parr said.

The peer review was still about a fortnight away, but the DHB was confident now the final rating would remain below 30%.

Relocating the building’s outpatients unit, maternity and post-natal services, radiology, burns unit, children’s ward, general surgery and gynaecology, and the medical ward would have “huges” on winter planning impact across the lower North Island, chief medical officer John Tait said.

“It’s going to be a Hutt, Capital & Coast health and the rest of the central region issue, as to how we’re going to do this in the short term,” he said.

ROSA WOODS/STUFF

The Heretaunga building, right, houses almost 80% of Hutt Hospital’s beds and a quarter of all the inpatient beds in Wellington.

Parr said the building would require “quite substantial works” to bring it up to code, but it was too early to say what this might cost, or whether it would cost more than building a new hospital.

The rating means the building is considered “very high risk” and will need to be listed on a national register.

Legally, building owners have seven-and-a half years to complete seismic strengthening once an official notice has been issued. This hasn’t happened yet, Parr said.

John Tait said while the board voted last Friday to move services out as soon as possible, there was currently nowhere for them to go.

RNZ

There has been a shock announcement that Hutt Hospital’s main building is an earthquake risk and must close.

“There’s an inherent balance here between health and safety for our patients and staff, but at the same time, we also have, obviously, an obligation to provide health care for the Hutt Valley, including the ability to access health care.”

The aim was to have patients out within 12 months, but sooner if possible, Tait said.

“We’ve got 201 beds, how are we going to find those? How are we going to use the private sector? Can we use aged care facilities?

“Three months ago, there were no concerns about the hospital.”

Tait said whatever happened, Hutt Valley would continue to have its own hospital.

However, the call on whether to do the work to bring the hospital up to code, or to demolish the building and start again, will be made by the incoming Health New Zealand, which replaces DHBs in six weeks’ time.

Health Minister Andrew Little said on Tuesday the Government was “committed to the delivery of hospital services in the Hutt Valley”.

Tait said the board was looking at replacing the 40-year-old Heretaunga building in about 12 years’ time.

Hutt Valley DHB chief executive Fionnagh​ Dougan is yet to front media about the report.

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