New health director thrust into pivotal role $6.9m centre awaits funding

SARAH YOUNG

A service director has been appointed for Golden Bay's new integrated health facility, but work is still needed to raise the necessary funds for the centre.

Nelson Bays Primary Health organisation (PHO) chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said Rhoda McDonald would begin as the service director for the new Golden Bay Integrated Family Health Care Centre on December 5.

Mr Swanson-Dobbs said Ms McDonald, who had extensive experience in leadership, management, and governance in the health sector, beat nine other applicants for a job pivotal in integrating Golden Bay health services into one facility.

Ms McDonald was chief executive of Kowhai Health Trust, a primary health care trust in the Hutt Valley, for the past five years.

Ms McDonald would lead the implementation of the new model of service delivery, staffing models and business structures, and would assist staff moving to the new model of service.

Nelson Marlborough District Health Board staff were likely to be transferred to PHO employment on January 30.

Mr Swanson-Dobbs said he did not expect there to be any redundancies.

The new $6.9 million health centre, which will include a community hospital, medical centre and rest home facility, is still in the concept design phase.

The resource consent application is with the Tasman District Council.

It is expected to open in November next year, and funding is still being finalised before construction starts.

The centre will come under the umbrella of the Golden Bay Health Alliance, made up of the DHB, which is leasing the land to the Golden Bay Community Health Te Hauora O Mohua Trust, the community property trust which will build and own the integrated family health centre facility, and the PHO as service providers who will be using the building.

Nelson Marlborough District Health Board secretary Mike Cummins said the board was prepared to look at bridging finance arrangements, in the form of an interest-free loan of about $1 million, to keep the project going and on track.

The loan would come from the board's capital fund. "We're trying to give the trust support and confidence in fundraising."

The project is also still awaiting Ministry of Health approval regarding the lease of board land to the Property Trust and other "accounting technicalities" but Mr Cummins said the approval was "imminent".

It was taking time because of the uniqueness of the situation, where the board was leasing land, rather than a building.

The board was still trying to negotiate acquiring additional land needed for the extensions being made to the current facilities, he said.

The project was also seen by the Ministry of Health as a pilot for integrated family health centres in remote areas.

"And that's part of the reason why the whole thing has taken a bit of time because we don't want to create a precedent that's not workable. It's not a simple transaction."

Consultation with transferring DHB staff took place last week, and feedback was been given to chief executive John Peters earlier this week.

Mr Cummins said staff appeared to be very positive, and the Golden Bay Community Hospital staff were working with the DHB, unions and the PHO on the transfer process.

Joan Whiting Rest Home staff were not part of the consultation process.

Golden Bay Community Health Trust trustee Linda Sanders said the loan from the board would be paid back over 10 years.

The trust planned to borrow an additional $4.2m, once ministry approval was granted, and would seek a further $750,000 from charitable trust and foundation grants and the community, she said.

This would ideally need to be found during the construction period next year, which was expected to start in March or April, she said.

The trust applied to the Canterbury Community Trust and the Lion Foundation for funds last year but was turned down.

However, Ms Sanders said they would be approaching both trusts again.

The trust had already received a little bit of money from organisations such as Pub Charity, she said.

Joan Whiting Rest Home trustees pulled out of the project in August on the grounds that the rest home part of the centre had been downgraded.

- © Fairfax NZ News