Wellington's health services face uncertainty as Hutt Hospital bosses work out when they will close the main hospital block.
Hutt Valley District Health Board told staff yesterday the Heretaunga Block, which contains the maternity, children's, cardiology, burns, general and orthopaedics wards, was earthquake-prone and patients would have to be moved out while it is fixed.
The block has 210 bed spaces and accounts for 25 percent of the physical capacity across the Hutt, Kenepuru, and Wellington hospitals.
The DHB says the risk is low for patients and staff and it is working on a plan for where multiple services could go. There may also be temporary buildings erected.
Sarah Dwan is 32 weeks pregnant and planning on giving birth at Hutt Hospital but now is not sure where she will end up delivering her baby.
"It is worrying and quite upsetting for residents on where they would actually go to safely deliver their babies if home birth is not an option. It's really hard because it's like you've been given this bombshell but not knowing am I going to be affected by this," she said.
Dwan is concerned about the lack of options for expecting parents in the Hutt, particularly after a birthing unit closed last year.
"Wellington Hospital is only 20 minutes away, or 12 minutes in a quick ambulance, but it still would impact how you feel about getting the help whereas in the Hutt I am only about six minutes away from the hospital," she said.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton expects health services across the Wellington region will be affected.
"I heard they're looking at private and aged residential care as options for decanting patients over a longer term and I am sure it is going to impact Kenepuru and Wellington Hospitals as well."
Dalton also feared the Hutt would be joining a list of hospitals across the country waiting for building upgrades.
"One concern we have is there's already a backlog of hospital builds, rebuilds, refits that's dragging its knuckles so we can't really afford to have another one in the queue," she said.
Heretaunga block at low risk - DHB
Hutt Valley DHB acting chief financial officer Matthew Parr on Wednesday confirmed the seismic rating of the Herataunga block was 15 percent of the new building standard (NBS).
The DHB had previously said only that it was below 34 percent, which is deemed earthquake-prone.
"There is a draft rating that we received and we have now been working through a process for a full peer review," Parr said. Though the review may shift the rating, it would remain be below 34 percent.
Parr said the assessment was against a technical engineering code and the building has been deemed low risk.
"Our engineers have put in writing to us that this building is low risk" - Matthew Parr
It was too early to say whether it will have to be repaired or rebuilt, or how much it might cost.
National list MP Chris Bishop, based in Hutt South, who revealed the 15 percent rating on Morning Report, said it was "well beneath the acceptable number".
He said it was unclear what that meant and whether there would be further assessments. "Sometimes there is a bit of back and forth around the exact assessments, engineers disagree. [They] need to find a consensus - this has happened with lots of other buildings."
"This is significant for not just Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt but for the whole region" - National MP Chris Bishop
Bishop said with the hospital having 79 percent of the bed capacity of Lower Hutt and 25 percent of the available beds in the region, there had to be a quick decision on whether to remediate, replace or have another option.
Bishop and Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry had urged the DHB to front and state what the percentage was for the building.
"It's often quite complicated - it might be certain parts of the building," Barry said.
"All of that information needs to be in the public domain.
"Better to be transparent in these situations."
"People have a right to know exactly what the current state of that building is" - Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry
Barry said he understood the plan for where services would be going would be out on 22 June.
Nic Brooke, an engineer and concrete expert at Compusoft Engineering, said while a rating of below 34 percent was not high-risk day-to-day, the hospital block looked to have been assessed against a high standard.
"As an engineer, I would have no particular concerns about being in an earthquake-prone building on any given day, whether that be a hospital or otherwise. Part of the reason for that is this had been assessed as a higher importance level building. Really what that means is that for a given earthquake score, the building is relatively safer than the same score applied to a normal office building, for instance. So it's a very nuanced sort of situation."
Hutt South MP Ginny Andersen said the DHB had received its information only recently, on 13 May, and was acting rapidly.
"As with other buildings in Wellington they've got a period of time to rectify it but I understand they are going to move quite quickly."
Andersen said she had been given an assurance from government ministers that they are committed to having a fully operational hospital in the Hutt Valley.
"While there may be disruptions in the short term, the government is committed to ensuring that the Hutt Valley retains good quality hospital facilities that are as good as now or better than the ones we have got," Andersen said. She could not give a timeframe or cost.
"The government is committed to having a fully operational hospital in the Hutt Valley" - Hutt South MP Ginny Andersen