HOSPITAL VISITING

All hospital visitors are recommended to wear a medical face mask. For more information about visiting: Visitors and family. See our COVID-19 page for general COVID-19 advice, detailed hospital visiting guidelines and COVID-19 tests.

See West Coast COVID-19 vaccination clinics for info on vaccinations link COVID-19 Vaccination • West Coast • Healthpoint

Last updated:
16 September 2022

Fewer visitor restrictions now apply

For visitors to all facilities (effective from and last updated on 16 September 2022)

Some visitor restrictions for all Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini West Coast health facilities remain in place, but we have relaxed others.

There is still a heightened risk to vulnerable people in hospital and so people must continue to wear a mask when visiting any of our facilities and follow other advice designed to keep patients, staff and other visitors safe.

Kia whakahaumaru te whānau, me ngā iwi katoa – this is to keep everybody safe:

  • Visitors or support people must not visit our facilities if they are unwell. Do not visit if you have recently tested positive for COVID-19 and haven’t completed your isolation period.
  • Patients in single rooms may have more than one visitor while patients in multi-bed rooms can have one visitor only per patient to ensure there is no overcrowding.
  • People can have one or two support people to accompany them to outpatients appointments.
  • Women in labour in a birthing suite, in Te Nīkau Hospital’s Maternity Ward and in Buller’s Kawatiri Maternity Unit can have the usual support people, subject to space, for the duration of their stay in our facilities.
  • Eating or drinking at the bedside is at the discretion of the Clinical Nurse Manager. Visitors must not eat or drink in multibed rooms because of the increased risk when multiple people remove their mask in the same space.
  • Hand sanitiser is available and must be used.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as our staff work hard to protect and care for some of the most vulnerable in our community.

Mask wearing

  • Surgical/medical masks must be worn at all sites, except in counselling, mental health and addiction services where it’s on a case-by-case agreement with patients. Masks will be provided if you don’t have one. In higher-risk environments, people, including young children, may not be able to visit if they cannot wear a mask.
  • Any member of the public with a mask exemption is welcome in all our facilities when attending to receive health care and *treatment. Please show your mask exemption card and appointment letter to staff at the entrance. *Treatment includes coming into the Emergency Department, outpatient appointments, surgery or a procedure.

Visiting patients with COVID-19

  • People are able to visit patients who have COVID-19 but they must wear an N95 mask – this will be provided if you don’t have one.
  • Other methods of communication will be facilitated e.g. phone, Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp etc where visits aren’t possible.

You must NOT visit our facilities if you

  • are COVID-19 positive
  • are unwell. Please stay home if you have a tummy bug or cold or flu/COVID-19-like symptoms (even if you’ve tested negative for COVID-19).

Te Whatu Ora West Coast Aged Residential Care facilities

Visitors are welcome at our Aged Care Residential facilities, subject to the space available. All visitors must wear a surgical mask.

More COVID-19 information

Studentships

Te Kōunga o Te Hiringa Gary Coghlan Studentship Programme

Our programme has a new name

The West Coast Studentship programme has recently been renamed the Te Kōunga o Te Hiringa Gary Coghlan Studentship programme in memory of Gary Coghlan. Gary was one of the country’s longest-serving general managers in Hauora Māori. He was a former chair of Tumu Whakarae, the National Reference Group of Māori Managers within DHBs, as well as a former deputy chair of Tai Poutini Polytechnic. Gary continually challenged the health system to deliver equitable outcomes for Māori and actively promoted cultural competencies in mainstream health systems.  He was recognised as one of the key contributors to reforms within the health system and in developing rural health initiatives on the West Coast.

Gary was passionate about workforce development and was instrumental in developing the Studentship programme within Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini.  He promoted all programmes that gave Rangatahi the opportunity to experience first-hand what life could be like working in the Health System on the West Coast.

Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini is very pleased to offer Sponsorship Awards in the form of Studentships to West Coast students who are studying, or intending to enrol at a recognised NZ university or polytechnic for the next academic year.

Aim

To select a diverse group of students who will work together on an approved project. This supports Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini’s “grow your own” approach.

The students will undertake activities at Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini, which will benefit both the student’s learning experience and advance or assist any Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini project, event or activity.

Programme

There will be six studentships offered, with each student receiving $5,000 as taxable wages.

The programme will run across the summer holiday period with 2 orientation days on 18th & 19th December prior to Christmas and 4 weeks from 8th January to 9th February 2024 (dates are subject to change).

Studentship Application Criteria

Applicants must be enrolled, or intending to enrol in an education programme at a recognised New Zealand education institution for the next academic year. At the completion of their study, the applicant intends to work specifically, but not exclusively within West Coast rural health.

Applicants must have resided on the West Coast of the South Island, or have strong links or whakapapa to Te Tai o Poutini.

Consideration to the whole group mix needs to be maintained with priority given to Maori and Pacifica as well as a focus on fragile sectors.

Studentship Application Process

To be eligible for consideration, applicants are required to complete a Te Kōunga o Te Hiringa Gary Coghlan Studentship Application Form.  The application form and timeframes are accessed through the link below:

Studentship Selection Process

All applications that meet the application criteria will go to a panel for review and selection.

The decision of the panel is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

All applicants will be notified of the response by email.

For more information contact:

Workforce Development Team
Rural Learning Centre
Te Nikau Hospital & Health Centre
71 Water Walk Road
Greymouth 7805

Email: workforce.admin@wcdhb.health.nz

Page last updated: 20 September 2023

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