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One of the first patients in Christchurch Hospital’s new Waipapa building says the bright and spacious facilities will help him get through intensive cancer treatment.
Tane Loper, 45, was diagnosed with cancer affecting his blood and lymph nodes in November of last year.
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Hematology patient Tane Loper said he was “impressed” by Christchurch Hospital’s new Waipapa building.
The stem cell therapy treatment was successful, but the cancer returned and he was diagnosed again in September.
“This time they told me that things were not going very well and that the chances of controlling it were not good, but things are going well at the moment.”
About two weeks ago, Loper was admitted to room 26, located below ground level in the Riverside building of Christchurch Hospital, where the view was a concrete wall.
“It was much darker and gloomier and makes bad days worse.”
The contrast to her room in Waipapa was “unreal” and would “definitely” improve her mental well-being, Loper said.
“From here you have the hills in the distance, you have the city, the treetops, it is much clearer and brighter, it is a much more positive environment.”
Loper was full of praise for his most spacious room, which included a desk and chair.
He said the “amazing” nurses would also make a huge difference in helping him through difficult times.
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Nurse Manager in Charge of Hematology, Sally Braycotton, helps move patients to Christchurch Hospital’s new Waipapa building.
The staff and 24 patients from the oncology and hematology wards were the first to enjoy the new hospital building as part of a two-week migration.
Several other districts and departments will relocate to Waipapa, including intensive care and children’s departments.
The city’s new emergency department, located at the opposite end of the Christchurch Hospital campus from its current location, will open on the Waipapa ground floor at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Nursing manager in charge of hematology, Sally Braycotton, said the move was challenging, but seeing the smiles on patients’ faces when they saw the “bright rooms of Waipapa” made it worthwhile.
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Christchurch Hospital ordinance Kereti Rolleston moves an oncology patient to the new Christchurch Hospital building, Waipapa.
Planning for the significant migration of hospital services from the Riverside and Parkside buildings of Christchurch Hospital to Waipapa began three months ago after construction delays.
The board of health originally planned to move in September 2018, but the date was postponed four times.
The 401-bed facility provides the Christchurch Hospital campus with an additional 35 beds. A recent business case for the master plan would keep Parkside’s six-bed wards, which were deemed “clinically unacceptable” by senior physicians, in service for another 10 to 15 years.
The Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Sarah Dalton, said it was “fantastic” that Waipapa was finally busy, but there were concerns that demand would quickly exceed capacity.
Research by the Canterbury District Board of Health showed that infection rates for patients at Burwood Hospital, opened in 2016, were lower than those for older Christchurch Hospital buildings, Dalton said.
“It’s designed to be easy to manage in terms of cleaning and infection prevention and control, so that’s what new hospitals are all about: providing [the] better design and workspaces to support, so it should be better for staff and patients. “
The new hospital building would not open a pediatric emergency department unit, pediatric intensive care room, or adolescent and young adult cancer unit due to financial constraints.
Acting CEO Andrew Brant said management would review the decision after the move was completed, along with feedback from consumers and staff.
