Mayor alarmed by Hutt Hospital news

Mayor Campbell Barry is alarmed by news today that Hutt Hospital’s main Heretaunga Block has seismic issues.

The Heretaunga Block houses 79 per cent of the beds at the Hospital, and makes up 25 per cent of the overall hospital bed capacity in the region.

Mayor Barry said he understood the health and safety dilemma of what to do with a building with seismic issues, but was shocked to learn that the HVDHB’s decision to gradually close the building was not accompanied by a full commitment to the future of Hutt Hospital.

"I want to be absolutely clear: today we have learned the main building at Hutt Hospital will close, and there are absolutely no plans to rebuild or remediate the site to secure health services into the future.

"Once beds, specialist services, and staff leave the Hutt for elsewhere, I’m deeply concerned they may never come back. Today may well represent the long-term removal of tertiary health services in the Hutt Valley."

Mayor Barry is calling on Central Government and Health New Zealand (who in six weeks will be in charge of buildings and services) to commit to a full rebuild at the Hutt Hospital site, and services currently delivered at the hospital will all return.

"I will be relentless in pursuing Health New Zealand and the Government to commit to the future of Hutt Hospital. The Hutt Valley deserves nothing less, and we will advocate in the strongest possible terms for local and accessible health services.

"People across our city should take active notice of this issue, our Hutt Hospital with the services it currently provides may be at risk.

"The Hutt has a deep and proud connection to our Hospital and the vital health services it provides for our people. We will fight tooth and nail to ensure Hutt Hospital’s future is secured," Campbell Barry says.