Patients across Otago and Southland are now receiving care at the new Dunedin Hospital Outpatients building.

The five-storey, 15,000sq m facility is the first completed clinical building within the wider New Dunedin Hospital project and brings together a wide range of specialist outpatient, diagnostic and day procedure services under one roof.

The building was opened to patients on Monday. 

Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) Southern operations group director Craig Ashton said,  in a statement, extensive planning, testing, and staff preparation had taken place to ensure the facility was ready to safely welcome its first patients.

“Monday represents the culmination of years of planning, collaboration, and hard work by hundreds of people who have helped bring this facility to life,” he said.

“While the building was officially opened in August, the period since then has been focused on commissioning staff training simulations and making sure every aspect of the patient journey has been tested and refined.”

The building’s te reo Māori name, Whare Mātūtū,  reflects a place of care, recovery and wellbeing, supporting people through their health journeys.

The building will house a range of outpatient clinics and services, together with radiology and imaging services, day surgery and procedure rooms.

Patients will experience a range of new digital tools, including self-service check-in kiosks, digital wayfinding, patient queue management technology and improved access to electronic health information.

HNZ Southern chief medical officer Dr David Gow  said patients should follow instructions provided in their appointment letters, emails, and texts.

“We know there will be a sense of excitement for many people visiting the building for the first time and our staff will be on hand to help patients and whānau find their way around.”

Once fully staffed and operational, the additional capacity provided by the new facility is expected to support about 1700 additional day surgical procedures, 13,300 additional medical imaging appointments and 2,700 additional medical day stay appointments each year.

— Allied Media