New era, new name as doctors take a slice of Nelson’s private hospital

Local surgeons and anaesthetists have bought into Nelson’s private hospital, as the Manuka St facility enters a new phase.

And while the location remains the same the name has changed, with the medical facility now known as Southern Cross Nelson Hospital.

The new joint venture ownership model for the hospital sees a 50-50 split between Southern Cross and a collective of local physicians. Previously Southern Cross had been in a joint venture with the Manuka Street Charitable Trust.

Southern Cross chief executive Dene Coleman said the new ownership model was helping attract medical professionals to the region, which also benefited the public system as they worked across both sectors.

“Getting people into the regions is hard. Provincial New Zealand is under served with healthcare, and there’s much more opportunity for surgeons to work out of Christchurch, Wellington or Auckland or something like that.

“So, having an opportunity for them to buy into the facility as a hospital has been a real positive for us because it means it’s a long-term commitment they’re making to the hospital to both work from here, grow it, and continue to expand services.”

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Richard Peterson said local specialists had a “strong desire” to help shape the future of the hospital and ensure it supported the community.

“The focus has been on nurturing an environment where people genuinely want to work — one that is collaborative, forward-looking, and sustainable over time.”

A “strong core group” from a range of specialities had invested, he said.

“The capital raise was oversubscribed, reflecting a genuine desire among clinicians to be part of this next phase.”

Having doctors invested in the hospital would support the delivery of high-quality services for the community, he said.

“There’s also a broader benefit to the health system locally. A significant number of patients treated in the private hospital come through the public system or are funded by ACC.

“As capacity and capability continue to develop within the private setting, it contributes to more timely access to care.”

Coleman said the joint venture allowed them to tap into the broader Southern Cross network and improve the development of clinical services and delivery.

“Things we did not have the resource to support previously, being a smaller provincial organisation, we can do now.”

That included utilising robot technology for orthopaedic surgeries to get people home faster.

Patients who used to be in hospital for two to three days were now able to be home within 24 hours following a hip replacement, Coleman said.

They were also developing a day-stay programme for shoulder replacement and rotator cuff surgeries, and were able to offer more complex bowel cancer surgeries.

“When you come here now, you’re getting a standard of care that is at least equal to what you would get in the main centre. There is no differential between the main centre, going to a private hospital in Auckland, and coming to one in Nelson.”

Coleman said there also were also advantages to the broader health system, as they were taking on public cases.

Between June and March the hospital had done 350 public cases, plus 250 endoscopies – more than one a day.

Many of the public patients they saw had been waiting up to two years, he said.

“It’s quite satisfying for us to continue the community aspect that the charitable trust started and still feed that back into the public sector by supporting their patients.”

Peterson said the new ownership model “supporting the long-term continuity of high-quality surgical care in Nelson”.

We have a modern, well-designed facility, strong support from Southern Cross, and a committed group of local clinicians who are actively involved in its ongoing development.

“Together, this creates a service that continues to evolve in step with community needs, while keeping care close to home. Patients can feel confident they are receiving care aligned with the standards seen in larger centres.”

By Katie Townshend, Nelson Mail