Tomorrow, the Southern District Health Board will consider an indicative business case for digital investment, which recommends some upgrades to the technology the board uses now so systems are in place for when clinicians move to the new, greatly upgraded facility.
The bill for that would be an estimated $215.4 million, spread out over 10 years.
The plan envisages the SDHB would pay $40.2 million of that from its capital expenditure budget, with the balance coming from the Ministry of Health.
"This proposal is driven by the need for some essential digital infrastructure to be specified and installed during the construction of the new Dunedin Hospital," the proposal said.
"Some of these components are present in the existing Dunedin Hospital, but will not support the capacity and performance requirements of the new facility.
"Furthermore, these components are in constant use and so are not easily removed and transferred, for example, a new upgraded network and Wi-Fi will be required to support the quantity of mobile devices proposed for use by staff working in new Dunedin Hospital."
Plans for the new hospital include an automated check-in system for patients and a real time location system to track the whereabouts of staff, patients and equipment. No such systems are used in the hospital now.
"Current digital systems are not fit for purpose, from the perspectives of health system staff and consumers," the proposal said.
Feedback had been the current system was inefficient, fragmented, wasted time, prompted avoidable errors and caused inequitable access to care.
The plan said not specifying and funding the digital plan now could delay construction of the new hospital, or cause expensive problems later if it was decided to add new technology into buildings already well along the way to being built.
Its preferred option hoped to minimise digital infrastructure upgrades, which might be expensive and disruptive in a working hospital, but also allow for enough upgrades for the new hospital to be ready to go with its intended technology systems for management, patient support, clinicians and data analysis.
Technology could be scaled up later when the SDHB was ready and equipment became more affordable.
The cost of new computing equipment was estimated at $9.5million, partially offset against an already budgeted $3.5million set aside for computer replacement.
Maintenance of the proposed new infrastructure was estimated to cost about $15million annually.
The Ministry of Health was expected to buy the new hospital’s data network, audio-visual equipment, computers and phones, with SDHB input on their selection, design and configuration.
The digital component of the new Dunedin Hospital has deliberately been kept separate from the $1.4billion project’s business case.
The Cabinet is still to sign off on the new hospital’s detailed business case, more than a year after it was due to consider it.
