Waterford Hospital upgrades will improve services, minister reaffirms pledge to replace building

The provincial government is investing some $650,000 to redevelop the psychiatric assessment and short-stay units at the Waterford Hospital and hire more registered nurses, but remains committed to replacing the aging St. John's facility.

Health Minister John Haggie described the upgrades Thursday as a transition as the province continues to explore options for a "re-invigorated" mental health system for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Haggie said it's challenging to consider a new mental health hospital during tough economic times, and he suggested the province may have to get creative by pursuing apublic-private partnership.

"We have explored various things and there has been a value-for-money analysis done on looking at basically leasing maintained buildings, and as that process rolls thorough, that will be one of the options we're considering," Haggie told reporters.

But a replacement is still a long way into the future, and Haggie said improvements are needed now.

Separatingand enlarging the psychiatric and short-stay unitswill meanimprovements for patients, their families, and staff, Haggie explained.

"You have people there with safe rooms who are very disturbed and they are next to interview rooms where you're trying to deal with equally agitated people who have their own stories to tell. You just can't get privacy. You can't get peace and quiet. And there's certainly no dignity in the place," he said.

In addition to the physical changes, Haggie said there will also be a requirement for 3.5 more nursing positions, and clerical support.

Haggie said the number of beds in the short-stay unit will not increase.

• Moving psychiatric patients to 'mothballed'Waterforddeemed unacceptable

Renovations and recruitment of thenew nurses should get underway in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Opposition Health critic and Mount Pearl North MHA Steve Kent criticized the announcement, saying he approved this very project in July 2015, when he was health minister.

Haggiedismissed Kent's broadside, saying the original concept was inadequate.

"The problem was that the allocation of funds was simply for gyproc and paint. It didn't deal with the operational issues that moving two units in a building that is 150-odd years old would generate," Haggie said.