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

Disability Steering Group

The purpose of this group is to ensure people with disabilities in the Canterbury and West Coast District Health Board areas have the health services they need, and feel included in decisions about their health.

The Disability Steering Group (DSG) has been selected to ensure the right balance of representation and has a wide range of relevant knowledge and expertise or experience living with a disability.

The DSG has the Canterbury and West Coast Health Disability Action Plan (PDF, 600KB) as the focus for its work. The Plan identifies short-term goals to be achieved in the first two years, and longer-term goals over the ten year lifespan of the Plan.

Refreshing the Plan, 3 years in

The ten-year Canterbury and West Coast Heath Disability Action Plan (PDF, 600KB) was launched in July 2016 after extensive consultation and at that time it outlined the priorities for our health system for the first two years, with the intention of reviewing priorities every two years for the life of the Plan. During August 2019 and on behalf of the Disability Steering Group, the DHB organised a series of five open, public hui to provide opportunities for the community to have input into what the next priority actions should be. People could also provide input online or by phone.

Public feedback and suggestions were collated and added to input from disability sector shareholders and advocates. It has since been presented to a new Disability Steering Group membership, also refreshed for the start of 2020. As at Jan/Feb 2020 the Disability Steering Group is working on ratifying those immediate priorities and updating the Plan accordingly.

Staying in touch

The DSG meets approximately monthly. The main points discussed, the advice it provides and the work it instigates are all recorded as key messages. The key messages are public, and are also sent by email to identified stakeholders and any person that has asked to go on the mailing list.

Key Te Whatu Ora West Coast DSG messages/minutes can be viewed here, and Waitaha Canterbury DSG messages/minutes are located in Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Caterbury’s document library.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list or provide general feedback on the work of the DSG or make suggestions please email disabilityplan@cdhb.health.nz

It is hoped that over time the DSG can increase engagement and further exchange ideas and views with the wider community – but in particular, those who experience disability, have someone in their whānau who does, or work within the disability sector and/or in health.

Canterbury and West Coast Health Disability Action Plan Video

Featuring people with lived experience of disability

Note: If you are using an older browser and cannot see the video above, it can be viewed on vimeo.com instead.

The video is in three parts and features people or families talking about their experiences and what they want from their health system.

The video opens with retired Greymouth school teacher Margaret Woollett – remember, this is a TransAlpine action plan that aims to support disabled people and their family/whānau on both the West Coast and in Canterbury.

The second part features the Andrell family of Burwood (who are here with us at the launch).

The final part of the video features Disability Support Advisory Committee member Ben Lucas who is the chef de mission for the upcoming Rio Paralympics and who provided input on the redevelopment of Burwood Hospital.

Page last updated: 30 November 2022

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