Palmerston North Hospital EDOA and MAPU

MidCentral District Health Board needed to ease cramped conditions in the Emergency Department at Palmerston North Hospital and bring down wait times. The answer is a 750 square metre facility at the front of the existing department, connected to it by an enclosed linkway.

The building holds two units for people needing assessment or observation before or instead of admission. The Emergency Department Observation Area has 10 beds where adults can be observed for up to 12 hours, freeing six beds in the ED itself. The Medical Assessment and Planning Unit has 20 beds, where patients can be assessed, treated and discharged inside 48 hours without a full hospital admission.

The development took existing mobility carparks, so the first task was building replacement mobility parking, including a block retaining wall with handrail and associated siteworks. Foundation walls were poured over three stages using a DOKA formwork system, with tight tolerances for the hold down bolts carrying the structural steel frame to follow. It opened in January 2023.