| 21 T T Karen Phelps Improving hospital care for our youngest Kiwis The two-phase project, expected to finish in 2026, aims to address the urgent capacity challenges facing New Zealand’s only dedicated paediatric intensive care facility. Auckland City Hospital & Starship Hospital REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT T T to page 22 Work is progressing on Starship Hospital’s $40 million redevelopment of its Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and central atrium space, promising to enhance patient care and family support. The two-phase project, expected to finish in 2026, aims to address the urgent capacity challenges facing New Zealand’s only dedicated paediatric intensive care facility. On the Starship Hospital website, Dr John Beca, director of surgical and intensive care services at Starship, emphasises the pressing need for expansion. “It’s been 12 years since we last added beds to the Starship’s Paediatric ICU [PICU]. Population growth, combined with changes in care and treatment for our critically sick and injured children, and growing complexity of cases, means Starship’s PICU is under ever-increasing pressure. “Occupancy levels are now critical on average every second day, meaning there are less than two beds available in the unit, and the need to expand is now urgent.” The first phase, completed in November 2022, has already significantly improved the unit’s capabilities by adding 10 High Dependency Unit (HDU) beds, effectively increasing patient capacity by nearly 50%. This initial stage also included a new clinical support area, handover room, and upgraded four-bed intensive care unit.
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