Essential repairs to water pipes at The Princess Margaret Hospital

Leaky underground water pipes are being replaced this week on The Princess Margaret Hospital site in Christchurch. The work started on Tuesday 15 November and is expected to be complete by Thursday 17 November.

While this work is undertaken there is no potable (drinkable) mains water on the site so the clinical teams have worked to reduce the number of people on site, including both staff and consumers.

Te Whatu Ora Specialist Mental Health Services manager in Canterbury, Dr Greg Hamilton, offered his apologies to consumers, family-whanau and staff for the inconvenience caused while this work was being carried out.

Bottled water, portaloos, portable solar showers and sterile wipes are available for staff and patient use. Water is still available for the fire sprinklers, and water from the on-site fire hose can be used to flush indoor toilets.

“We acknowledge the disruption that this work causes and thank everyone for their patience. The leaky underground pipes have been causing issues for some time, so we will all be pleased once these repairs are complete.

“All the remaining inpatient mental health services currently on The Princess Margaret Hospital site will be moving to brand new, modern, fit for purpose facilities on the Hillmorton Campus next year, while community outpatient services for Older Person’s Health and Child Adolescent and Family will remain on the site until 2024,” Dr Hamilton said.

ENDS