Forté announces new hospital facility

Forté has announced a substantial hospital expansion, with early groundwork starting on the site in August.

The new hospital facility, a collaboration between Forté Health Ltd and property partners NHL and Mainland Capital, is being built on Kilmore Street, next to Forté Hospital. It will have a 6,000 sqm footprint and will connect to the existing hospital, tripling bed capacity and nearly doubling theatre space at the hospital.

“This new hospital facility demonstrates the commitment Forté has to the health of the Canterbury community,” says Forté Health CEO Michael Woodhouse.

The new hospital facility, estimated to cost more than $60 million, will enable significantly more capacity for elective surgery. A special care unit will mean more complex cases can be undertaken such as joint replacements, bariatric and cancer surgery.

Michael Woodhouse says the new hospital facility is being built in response to increasing demand from both surgeons and patients.

“An increasing number of surgeons and patients want the sustainable, innovative model of care that Forté provides. This increasing demand has given us the confidence to invest in the new hospital facility and the overall expansion of the Forté precinct,” Woodhouse says.

In January this year Forté opened a fifth operating theatre, providing space for an additional 1,800 surgeries per year.

“We added 25% more capacity to our hospital in January this year, but that theatre is filling up fast. We expect that within a few months we will be at capacity once again.

“We have world-leading medical and surgical specialists here in Christchurch, many of whom operate across the public and private sector. To keep them here we need to compete on a global scale and that means investing in innovative, world-class facilities. That’s exactly what we’re doing, and communities in Canterbury and across the South Island will benefit,” Woodhouse says.

The new hospital facility will increase the number of theatres at Forté from five to nine and increase bed numbers from 22 to 61. It will include a special care unit to allow for more complex, longer-stay surgeries.

Work began on site in late March with the installation of several test piles. Foundation work for the new hospital facility will start in August with construction due to begin in November.

The new hospital facility will be built to IL4 earthquake standards and certified under Greenstar to level 5 rating. It is expected to be one of Christchurch’s largest commercial tenders for a vertical construction project this year. The project will go out to tender in August.

Business Canterbury CEO Leeann Watson says it is great to see Forté Health making such significant long-term investments in Canterbury.

“Projects like this demonstrate the strength and forward-thinking approach that characterises Canterbury businesses.

“This project will be a game-changer for many local businesses involved in the construction supply chain – who right now are looking for a steady pipeline that gives them confidence to grow and create jobs,” Watson says.

As well as creating jobs during construction, Woodhouse says the new hospital facility will provide ongoing opportunities, including through a graduate nursing programme planned as part of Forté’s workforce development strategy.

“We know that the future of our healthcare sector is reliant on significant investment across numerous layers. We need to better support our growing population and the increasing complexity of healthcare needs; this build is part of that,” Woodhouse says.

The new hospital facility is expected to open in mid-2027.