New Dunedin Hospital outpatient building nears opening as digital-first facility

NEWS  - eHealthNews editor Rebecca McBeth

New Zealand's New Dunedin Hospital outpatient building is approaching completion, with the project team preparing to welcome its first patients after years of planning, construction, and digital infrastructure work.

Phil Baskerville, digital project director for the New Dunedin Hospital, says the outpatient building, the first of two phases in the broader hospital project, covers 15,000 square metres of clinical space and is designed not to hold paper records.

In a podcast interview for eHealth Talk NZ says the physical building has been designed without things like cubby holes for storing paper records, making the shift to digital necessary.

The team has approached the removal of paper records systematically, targeting the highest volumes of paper first, such as prescriptions and infection prevention control surveys.

"We have looked at the volumes that were scanned and we have targeted those high volumes," Baskerville says, adding that a digitisation and scanning bureau handles any remaining paper records.

Rather than waiting for opening day to introduce new technology, the team has been releasing changes in stages into the current hospital environment. 

Digitised outpatient prescribing, updated dashboards and clinic room scheduling tools have all been implemented already, giving staff time to become familiar with new systems before the full transition, he says.

A Digital Health Design Lab is located directly across the road from the new building and has played a key role in preparing for opening. 

Every piece of digital equipment has been stood up and tested in the lab, with devices profiled against the network before installation. 

Baskerville says digital teams were embedded in the building process from early on. Kilometres of cabling run through the building, and the team had to manage dust levels carefully during construction to protect communication rooms and networking equipment. 

"The building systems all need the network and the computing storage to actually operate,” he says.

He describes a digitally enabled patient journey for outpatients as starting with them logging into a portal using their My Health account to accept appointments online and get text message reminders in the 24 to 48 hours before their visit. 

When they arrive, they can scan their appointment letter or locate themselves in the system at the self check-in kiosks, with colour-coded building navigation guiding them to the correct level.

There is still an option to receive a posted letter and check in with a staff member providing choice for those who do not want to engage digitally.

A partnership with the Rural Connectivity Group, the Crown entity that works with mobile network operators to provide shared cell towers, has delivered 4G and 5G coverage throughout the facility, enabling patients to stay connected while inside.

HiNZ is hosting an event on 29 July at the Dunedin Town Hall called Southern Connections: The Future of Digital Health.

Register now to hear Baskerville present about the digital patient journey and infrastructure at the New Dunedin Hospital. 

If you would like to provide feedback on this news story, please contact the editor Rebecca McBeth.

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