| 105 T T Rosa Watson Elective surgical care a focus at Mercy Mercy remains committed to delivering exceptional healthcare, as well as continuing to serve the community through its charitable outreach programme. Mercy Hospital COMMUNITY Dunedin’s Mercy Hospital is continuing its legacy of providing quality healthcare and community outreach programmes 87 years after its establishment by the Sisters of Mercy. The elective surgical hospital employs over 300 staff including nurses, support services, and administration staff. Doctors are credentialed to work at Mercy facilities. Mercy is the only New Zealand hospital that directly employs all of its service staff, such as laundry, food services and housekeeping that are usually contracted out. There are 94 credentialed specialists across 16 surgical specialties. The hospital’s focus is the delivery of elective surgical care, with eight operating theatres and 82 hospital beds. Its joint venture partnerships, Mercy Cancer Care and Mercy Heart Centre, deliver oncology and cardiology services. Over the past 12 months Mercy has admitted over 9000 patients for surgical care and delivered a further 1000 episodes of oncological care. The highest admission numbers are in orthopaedics, followed closely by ophthalmology, ENT and general surgery, chief executive officer Richard Whitney said. Mercy remained committed to delivering exceptional healthcare, as well as continuing to serve the community through its charitable outreach programme. He added that supporting the people of Otago and Southland forms a key part of Mercy’s work. One aspect of this work is surgical fees relief, and education also remains a focus. Mercy’s Centre of Learning employs university students to provide tutoring in a warm and dry space for up to 50 senior Māori and Pacifika high school students every week during the school term, with catering included. Mercy also provides financial support to local organisations whose work reflects the Sisters’ focus on the Corporal Works of Mercy, such as the Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, Dunedin Catholic Schools Kahui Ako, Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust, University of Otago – Communicable Diseases Research Centre Fiji, Moana House, Catalytic Foundation, Otago Community Hospice, Catholic Social Services, Dunedin Night Shelter and Rock Solid youth development programme. The original goal of the Sisters was to establish a hospital with Catholic values, providing excellent health care to the people of Dunedin and Otago. When Mater Misericordiae, the original hospital, was opened in 1936 there was one operating theatre and 23 hospital beds. Both medical - patients managing chronic health conditions - and surgical patients were admitted. The main specialty was general surgery, followed by ear, nose and throat. In its first year, Mercy had approximately 180 admissions, and 120 of these were surgical. Today, Mercy’s size presents challenges as it competes with other surgical hospitals with larger footprints, stronger negotiating power and bigger budgets. . Richard referenced that with its wide range of surgical specialties meant a large amount of specialist equipment was required. There were also increasing costs to contend with, including surgical consumables, staffing and construction related costs. “Maintaining, modernising and expanding the hospital to meet both demand and clinical advances is both critical and challenging. “In 2012, Mercy Hospital embarked on a 15-year Campus Development Master Plan to ensure our campus and facilities continue to meet need. Now nearing completion, this plan has so far seen renewal of key infrastructure, creation of our two-theatre Manaaki day stay facility, a new in-patient ward, expanded CSSD, upgraded Theatre 5, improved staff facilities and new multi-purpose staff/consult offices on the second floor. “ Revenue-generating developments were carefully balanced with those that were necessary but did not directly increase the hospital’s income, he said. “This approach has been paired with careful prioritisation and value management of individual projects to ensure cost-efficiency.” Meeting advances in clinical technology was another challenge, with Mercy investing significantly in new computer systems over the last five years. Mercy was currently developing a ninth operating theatre, expanded PACU (recovery) unit, as well as expanded theatre support facilities, all of which will equip the hospital to meet ongoing demand for surgical care. The Sisters continue to take an active interest in the life and works of Mercy Hospital, with Whānau Mercy Ministries being the single shareholder. McCoy and Wixon Architects Ltd 242 Stuart Street, Dunedin 9058 Ph: 03 477 2030 Email: architects@mccoywixon.co.nz www.mccoywixon.co.nz
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