By Sue Newman  February 7, 2012

A fund of more than $1.5 million has been set aside through a community foundation to help build two day-surgery suites at Ashburton Hospital.

Advance Ashburton Community Foundation and other Ashburton charitable groups, including the Frampton Estate and the Lochhead Charitable Trust, have been in discussions for more than a year with the Canterbury District Health Board over the project.  The funding deal was signed off in December 2010 and the CDHB made a commitment for planning to get under way.
After the hospital’s theatres were closed this week because of earthquake damage, Advance Ashburton chairman Neil Sinclair, said he was shocked to hear that the CDHB had done what appeared to be an about face, suggesting that all surgery could be moved away from Ashburton.
He said his group had been told that the Ashburton service was an essential element in the CDHB meeting the Government`s expectations of annual increases in elective surgical procedures.
“We were told that the present theatres were not conducive to providing a modern day/short-stay service. They were proposing to provide two day-surgery operating suites with an appropriate recovery area, along with beds for patients accessing the service on a day stay basis and they wanted to build a new-purpose built complex.”
To ensure that happened, Advance Ashburton committed $1.5 million as a community contribution.
While earthquake damage resulted in the current operating theatres being closed, it was always the CDHB’s intention to replace them, Mr Sinclair said.
“The earthquakes have just made that happen a little sooner than planned. We were totally surprised that find the CDHB is now looking at all options, including moving all surgery permanently away from Ashburton. Until the latest earthquake risk assessment, Ashburton was an integral element in its plans for elective surgery as part of its wider Canterbury area of responsibility.”
When the new day surgery suites were built they would liberate Christchurch Hospital from elective surgery so it could concentrate on more serious and specialised procedures as well as emergencies from the whole of the Canterbury area.
Burwood Hospital would look after the northern part of the Canterbury District for elective surgery and Ashburton Hospital the southern part, he said.
In February last year, Advance Ashburton was told by the CDHB that planning had commenced for the new surgical suite, and that the group’s financial contribution was still being relied on.
“Again in June we were told the recent earthquakes had not changed the planning but there would be some delay in finalising the plans.
“In view of the recent earthquake damage to the current operating theatres and the decision to close them, we believe the proposed new development of the elective surgery suites should take place as quickly as possible.”
His group was stunned to find those plans might have changed.