Expanded emergency department opens

Nelson Hospital’s expanded emergency department opened on Monday, with staffing levels for the department expected to also be addressed.

Health Minister Simeon Brown, before a tour of the facility, said that the expansion was “the first step” in the more-than-half-a-billion-dollar redevelopment of the city’s hospital.

“It isn’t just about bricks and mortar. It’s about ensuring that when your child needs urgent care, or an elderly parent has a fall, they get the treatment they need without delay.”

The expansion adds around 200sqm to the ED and increases the number of treatment spaces from 23 to 29.

Included in the expanded ED were four new observation bays, two new isolation rooms, a dedicated triage room, improved staff facilities, and the hospital’s first negative pressure pod to strengthen infection control.

“These upgrades will make a real difference for patients and support our frontline teams to reduce wait times and deliver timely, quality care,” Simeon says.

The Minister said the $10.6 million expansion will help the Government achieve its target for shorter stays in the ED, with Nelson patients already having seen improved times between April and June this year when compared to the year before.

“With these additional treatment spaces now in place, we expect to see even greater improvements.”

The expansion is not complete, with additional phases expected to deliver new mental health interview rooms and refurbished family and triage areas. Construction is expected to be finished by April 2026 and is currently tracking to budget.

Simeon also said that staffing levels at the hospital were being addressed, with additional senior medical officers approved for the ED, 10 resident medical officers expected to start in the new year, and 70 additional staff for the temporary inpatient ward – which he re-affirmed the Government’s commitment to over the weekend.

“There’s staff continuing to be approved to improve the care that’s needed for this hospital.”

His Sunday announcement confirmed that Nelson Hospital was one of five nationally that was expected to have a temporary, 28-bed, modular inpatient ward operational by the second half of 2026.

Nelson’s ward, to be built locally, will house hospital services while seismic strengthening work is carried out on existing buildings. Once strengthening was complete, the ward was expected to provide extra inpatient capacity to help address current bed shortages until the new 128-bed inpatient tower was built.

The new inpatient building is part of the Government’s staged redevelopment plan for Nelson Hospital. Enabling works began in September 2025, with the first phase focused on the 128-bed inpatient building, a new energy centre, and a refurbishment of the existing George Manson Building and ground floor of the Percy Brunette Building.

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith welcomed the expanded ED, saying it was a “red-letter day” and it would ease the community’s angst about the delivery of much-needed hospital upgrades.

“It reinforces that a stage development process is something that can deliver the improved health services that the community has been wanting,” he said. “It feels like there’s a rolling wall of action and delivery.”

Nelson’s Labour MP Rachel Boyack welcomed investment into the city’s health infrastructure but was disappointed that a full upgrade of the ED, theatres, and intensive care unit was not undertaken.

“This upgrade is a band-aid instead of the full solution Nelson desperately needs.”

She added that she was “particularly concerned” that, following the recent power outage, critical services weren’t planned to be housed in a separate, purpose-built facility to ensure services would still be operational after a disaster, like an earthquake.