Waitakere Hospital’s new Emergency Department costing $9.8 million almost doubled the physical size and layout of the existing department, providing significant extra capacity.

Interior Components were proud to provide rigid vinyl sheet wall protection, hand rails, corner guards, bed bumpers and expansion joints for floors, walls and ceilings throughout the new hospital building.

Waitemata District Health Board Chair Dr Lester Levy said the new department reflects the DHB’s commitment to meet the needs of the growing West Auckland community.

“Our Emergency Department is unrecognisable from the service that closed at 6pm in 2010. The opening of this expanded facility is another major milestone in the evolution of Waitakere Hospital and the high quality 24-hour service we provide today.”

Waitemata DHB Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley says over the last ten years, the volume of patients presenting to the department has increased exponentially.

“The number of patients presenting at Waitakere ED has increased from 28,000 in 2009 to 52,000 in the last financial year. This is the fastest increase in patient numbers of any emergency department in the country and rivals that of much larger hospitals. Over the same period, ED staff numbers have risen from 50 to 84 to meet this growth.”