Laura Fergusson Trust Board vows to rebuild Auckland rehabilitation centre

There is a "desperate need" for an Auckland centre which caters to people with spinal cord and brain injuries, the new board of a disability trust says.

The new Laura Fergusson Trust Board has vowed to rebuild a centre catering to people with disabilities after the closure and sale of its Greenlane facility in 2020.

Victoria Carter spent three years fighting against the board's decision to close its Auckland rehabilitation centre. In November, she became the chairperson of the new board.

"The centre is still needed and I believe it never should've been sold. At the annual meeting last year, eight of us were elected unopposed and we're committed to rebuilding," Carter said.

"It was tragic when the centre closed and was sold, it's sitting empty now and is a painful reminder for everybody who drives past and knows the services it could be providing."

'Overwhelming support'

New research, commissioned by the board, to understand what people with disabilities, their loved ones, and disability service providers needed showed there was "overwhelming support" and a "desperate need" for the centre, Carter said.

Spinal Trust national programme manager Andrew Hall agreed it was challenging transitioning from hospital care to the "real world".

"In Auckland, patients go from a highly-controlled hospital environment to suddenly at home or in temporary housing while they wait for their home to be made accessible and that's quite a shock."

Carter said without the centre, the only options left for some people after leaving the Auckland spinal unit was a motel room or rest home.

"It's shocking and unacceptable for this to be happening - how is a spinal patient supposed to focus on rehabilitation and their new life in a rest home? There aren't the right resources in there for them."

She wanted to create a "one-stop shop" for disability care services, with a rehabilitation gym, hydrotherapy pool, transitional accommodation and community spaces and offices.

Hall said news of the possible rebuild was "pleasing" and he had been concerned when the old centre closed. He felt it was a "no-brainer" the service should be re-established.

"It's clear to me the demand is high and prevention of issues down the line, through good quality total rehabilitation, is a really obvious win for the economy overall."

'A totally different environment'

Sophia Malthus lived at the old centre for nine months after breaking her neck in a horse rising accident at 19.

For her, the centre had meant the difference between being around other young people or being in a rest home.

Her parents' home was not wheelchair accessible so she needed somewhere to go until they found a new place to live.

"Laura Fergusson was designed for young people going through rehab and the staff there knew my needs - at a rest home, it would've been a totally different environment."

Malthus, now a member of the trust board, said there were many "unrealistic things" she wanted in a new centre, but at its core it needed to be a place where people adapting to having a disability could be surrounded by others in the community.

The challenge would be finding a site which was central and had transport options nearby for people who could not drive, she said.

Carter said the trust had a "reasonable sum of money", which would be used to seek out a site for the centre and either refurbish a building or create a brand new one.

However, it was still early days and a potential site was yet to be found, she said.