Hospital Expansion Increases Surgical Capacity For Christchurch

An additional 1800 surgeries will be on offer in Christchurch each year thanks to an expansion at Forté Hospital.

Construction is underway at Forté creating an additional operating theatre within Forté Hospital’s existing footprint. It will increase the hospital’s surgical capacity by 25% – a move which will provide opportunities for the public as well as the private sector.

“This is a bold move and a significant investment into the health of our community. It will result in more Cantabrians getting the services and care they desperately need,” says Michael Woodhouse, CEO of Forté Health.

The additional theatre is being built on the first floor of Forté Hospital, alongside the hospital’s existing four theatres. The new theatre is due to open in January 2025.

Michael Woodhouse says it’s no secret that our health sector is struggling with demand.

“Our health system is finding it increasingly difficult to manage the surgical needs of our community. At the same time, we are facing an aging and growing population here in the South Island. Our health system needs more investment and Forté’s expansion is a significant step towards that,” Woodhouse says.

Demand is outstripping supply at Forté, with its current operating theatres running at capacity for the last several years. While the hospital caters to private surgeries it also works in partnership with Health NZ, offering surgical space to the public system.

“The future of our healthcare sector is reliant on investment across numerous layers, including the private sector. The new operating theatre at Forté Hospital will increase the opportunities for the public health system to access theatre capacity. 

“Canterbury desperately needs more operating theatre space and we’re excited that the expansion of Forté Hospital will deliver on that,” Woodhouse says.

Michael Woodhouse took over the helm of Forté Health in April 2024, after 15 years as a Member of Parliament. Prior to that he was the Chief Executive at Mercy Hospital in Dunedin.

“It is a privilege to return to the health sector and to an organisation so committed to enabling the delivery of more health care to Cantabrians.”

Woodhouse says Forté’s hospital expansion is just part of its investment into the city’s healthcare sector. A third Forté building has recently opened on the corner of Kilmore Street and Colombo Street, which is home to clinical and office spaces for medical specialists, with further growth plans having recently been progressed.

“It’s fair to say that, even with this expansion, we don’t believe the Forté precinct is complete. We are currently working on plans for additional investment into Canterbury’s health sector to better support our growing population and increasing complexity of healthcare needs.

“The founding owners of Forté had great courage, commitment, and foresight to build a state-of-the-art hospital in the midst of post-quake Christchurch. That future-focused thinking and commitment to the health of our community remains a core value of Forté today,” Woodhouse says.

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