Another blow for Dunedin Hospital rebuild with learning centre parked

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Dunedin News

From reporter Hamish McNeilly:

It was meant to be part of a world-leading health and education precinct, but now it has been parked due to escalating costs.

The Interprofessional Learning Centre was pitched as an educational facility for University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic students at the new Dunedin Hospital.

But those behind the project - Te Whatu Ora, the University of Otago and Te Pūkenga – released a statement on Friday afternoon confirming: "that the Interprofessional Learning Centre will not go ahead at this time".

Instead, the focus has moved from a specific building for interprofessional learning, to moving to growing interdisciplinary training for future healthcare professionals.

Part of that decision involved the escalating costs of the project, increasing from an estimate of $50 million in 2020 to more than $130m based on current projections.

“Due to the escalating costs, our organisations have had to consider the feasibility of a new, separate building to house training,” Te Whatu Ora chief executive Fepulea'i Margie Apa said.

"I want to reassure the community that this decision will not impact or compromise the training for students and our staff.

"Our trainee doctors, nurses and other health practitioners will still continue to have the advantage of clinical placements on-site at the New Dunedin Hospital."

Te Whatu Ora would continue to explore how to further teaching and learning opportunities in Dunedin.

Meanwhile, the University of Otago’s acting vice-chancellor, Professor Helen Nicholson, said the university was a leader in interprofessional health education and was disappointed the project would not go ahead at this time.

Long-term, the university supported an interprofessional learning facility.

Work would continue between the three parties to develop interprofessional education as part of the workforce strategy, including the potential to ‘’reactivate’’ the proposal in the future.

The $17m earmarked for the project remains in the budget of the $1.4 billion hospital, the largest infrastructure build of it type in New Zealand.

The project had faced ballooning costs, which led to $100m in cuts while preserving as much design and clinical capacity as possible within a "reduced footprint".

However, a report from Te Whatu Ora Southern warned those cuts posed "reputational, operational and clinical risk".