$30m stroke and rehab unit to benefit 'thousands' at Auckland City Hospital

YOU are going to have to DEMAND that they do better than improve outcomes and 'care'. The expectation should be getting to 100% recovery. The tyranny of low expectations can't be allowed to infect a new facility. Your stroke medical professionals will not do that, stroke survivors have to start screaming at these 'professionals'. 

$30m stroke and rehab unit to benefit 'thousands' at Auckland City Hospital

A $30 million facility for stroke patients is set to be built at one of the country's busiest hospitals.

On Thursday, Health Minister David Clark announced a new integrated stroke and rehabilitation unit would be built within existing space at Auckland City Hospital. 

Currently, stroke care at the hospital was sprawled across two different levels and rehabilitation was elsewhere, making it confusing for patients and their families. 

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Construction on a $30 million facility for stroke patients will begin in late 2019 at Auckland City Hospital (file photo).

The project was part of the Government's $750 million infrastructure investment in the 2018 Budget and construction would begin in late 2019.

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"Co-locating these services in a new purpose-built unit will help to improve continuity of care for patients and reduce the overall time spent in hospital," Clark said.

The new facility would create an extra 41 beds for stroke patients, spaces for targeted rehabilitation, a central dining area, gym and other shared spaces for patients and their families.

Thousands of stroke patients would benefit from better care at the new integrated stroke and rehabilitation inpatient unit, Clark said.

"Stroke is the third largest killer in New Zealand after cancer and heart disease and outcomes tend to be worse for Māori and Pacific people.

HANNAH PETERS/GETTY IMAGES

Health Minister David Clark says the new integrated stroke and rehabilitation unit for Auckland City Hospital will benefit thousands of people.

"While we are making progress in tackling the contributors to stroke, demand for stroke care in Auckland is rising due to population growth and demographic changes.

"There's a pressing need to expand these services. That's why the Government has approved $30m in funding for this new facility."

Clark said the facility would improve the continuity of care and reduce the time patients spent in hospital, which would make a strong difference for stroke patients.

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The facility is set to be completed by mid-2020.

A former stroke patient, Joel Pohio, said news of the facility was positive for future patients and their families.

Pohio was at home with his family when he had a stroke on December 4.

It was unexpected and sudden, and his wife, Tessa, said it had turned their lives upside down. 

Pohio was rushed to hospital where he underwent clot removal and also had part of his skull removed. 

"It was a bit confusing, I was heavily medicated – it felt like I was in a coma for a week and then I was in rehabilitation," Pohio said.

The new facility meant stroke care would be more streamlined and patients would get to know staff from start to finish, making the experience slightly easier, he said. 

Although his road to recovery was long, Pohio was looking forward to the future and was encouraged by his young family to keep getting better, he said.

Tessa Pohio said her husband's stroke was "really traumatic" for the West Auckland family. 

The announcement was a good step forward and she thought it was nice that people working on the facility's design had listened to views of family members, she said. 

Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) said in a statement the new unit would mean stroke patients could have all of their care in a single facility.

The facility was the first project in the DHB's Building for the Future programme, the statement said. 

ADHB's chief executive Ailsa Claire said the unit would not only improve outcomes and experiences for patients and whānau, but would provide a better working environment for staff.