IMG releases information ahead of public meeting
The Interim Management Group (IMG) has provided four pages of information about the integrated health centre in this week’s issue of The GB Weekly, pages 9 to 12.
The information is intended to assist people in the lead-up to the IMG’s independently-chaired public meeting in the Takaka Primary School hall on Monday 26 April. At that meeting, the IMG is promising to release details of its business case.
IMG members Carolyn McLellan and Stuart Borlase said they were “quite excited” about the progress made by the group. “I’m sure it will be the best thing for the Bay,” said Mrs McLellan at this week’s community board meeting.
Joan Whiting Trust chair, Chris Mitson, released the following statement: “We’re delighted with the decision [to locate the centre at the hospital site]. The sooner we get on with it, the better - because it’s quite literally a race between time and money to ensure the survival of rest home services in the Bay.
“There’s been a huge amount of negotiation over design of the rest home but I’m confident we’ve finally got what we wanted – a rest home that really is “home” and a design we can be proud of.
“The new Joan Whiting will have its own entrance, spacious rooms, an open inner courtyard and areas where our old folk can meet to enjoy activities or just socialise.
“We’ll be very sad to leave the Joan Whiting building up on the hill in Collingwood – but we know we’re going to something that has a solid, long term financial future.”
Meanwhile, at its meeting on Tuesday, the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board (DHB) agreed to move forward on the integration project’s updated business case.
The DHB’s agreement was given subject to two conditions: one, that the project obtains all the necessary statutory and other approvals for transferring the services to the hospital site; and two, that some aspects of the draft trust deed are tightened up. The DHB was apparently concerned that the trust deed’s winding-up provisions did not yet safeguard the DHB’s existing ownership interest in the site and property.
Neil Wilson
