A CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL HAS EXISTED IN Wellington since 1912 and, like the first one, the newest exists by virtue of public donation – the current building has benefited to the tune of $50 million from Wellington property investors and benefactors Dorothy Spotswood and Mark Dunajtshik.
In between times, a specific building was built in 1988 and this is still partially in use today, even though the new building has been substantially complete for about a year. The idea to build a replacement is, of course, absolutely fantastic – the old is tired and compromised and not so great from a user perspective, whether that of patient, visitor or clinician.
The Children’s Hospital caters for patients aged up to 16 years old and provides consultant spaces, day care and overnight facilities. It has nine short-stay beds, and overnight medical wards for 17 in one and 23 in the other. Interestingly, its bed numbers are similar to those of the existing children’s ward, although the facilities are much enhanced.
