Medical services remain focus

HELP APPRECIATED: Paul Cocks thanks supporters for helping them through 'the good, the bad and the ugly'.

Masterton Medical Centre says services, not buildings, remains its primary focus.

On Thursday the centre celebrated the consolidation of their premises at the rear of Wairarapa Hospital, nearly a year after fire gutted their Lincoln Rd facility.

The team gave a tour of the facilities to visitors and service providers, as well as District Health Board and Compass Health PHO guests.

Medical centre manager Paul Cocks thanked his guests for their support through "the good, the bad and the ugly", and said the practice was enjoying the ability and room to expand into an integrated family health centre. The hospital site was the first time in six years the centre, the largest of its kind in New Zealand, had been wholly contained in one building.

Mr Cocks said services remained their primary focus, but they would be moving to other premises in two years.

Their building and other parts of the hospital grounds are subject to a Treaty claim.

"Bricks and mortar will follow once we look at our services," said Mr Cocks.

"We're not jumping ship; we want to solidify what we are doing here.

"It's a great opportunity to try different things, and we have got the space to do it."

Mr Cocks said they now had specialist nursing clinics on site.

They were in discussion to get medical laboratory services, physiotherapy, and a pharmacy.

The centre's more distant placement, at the rear of the hospital, was harder for patients, but the St John ambulance shuttle, with a fixed loop around town, was starting to grow in usage, said Mr Cocks.

The centre's board chairman, Bob Francis, said February's fire was a "major blow" but the long-term future was extremely positive.

"We are now on a single site, staff are feeling happy and confident about the future.

"It was quite traumatic, but the outcome has been superb."

Wairarapa District Health Board chairman Derek Milne said Masterton Medical had the opportunity to become a "centre of excellence".