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

EPA report on two women affected by 1080. Harold Creek contamination. 1080 (dust frass) What monitoring of 1080 dust and wind is required

RE Official Information Act request WCDHB 9291

 I refer to your letter dated 28 February 2019 and received in our office on 4 March 2019 requesting the following information under the Official Information Act from West Coast DHB. Specifically:

1.       Official Investigation Report on – and –

As per response to OIA WCDHB 8954 (12/6/2017) – the West Coast Medical Officer of Health, Cheryl Brunton is quoted as saying “I have enclosed a copy of our initial report to the EPA on this incident. A copy of my full report will be available before the end of the month and I will send you a copy as soon as it is available.”

a.       I am requesting a copy of this report.

A copy of the report is attached as Appendix 1. Some of the content of this report (i.e. Appendix 4) has been withheld pursuant to Section 9 (2)(a) of the Official Information Act 1982 as it contains personal medical information.

b.      Why has this report not been sent as promised?

The undertaking to provide you with a copy of the report was unfortunately overlooked. I apologise that a copy was not sent to you as promised in the response to your previous OIA request (WCDHB 8954).

2.       Harold Creek contamination
I understand an investigation was carried out as a result of a large quantity of baits being found in the Harold Creek bed, the water catchment for Hari Hari water supply and a number of rural households and the source for stock water supply.
a.       Has the results of the investigation been completed and a report issued?

An investigation was carried out into an alleged misapplication of baits in the area of Harold Creek. I attach a copy of the report of the investigation which was sent to the EPA (Appendix 2).

b.      What actions are being taken as a result of the investigation?

The actions taken are referred to in the attached report.

3.       Prefeed aerial
On 4th August 2018 an aerial prefeed application of supposedly non-toxic bait was applied around Hari Hari – no public warning was given and no warning signs erected.
a.       Was there a requirement for signs to be erected and the public to be warned?

No, there was no requirement for signs to be erected or for the public to be warned of the application of non-toxic pre-feed baits. All controls for aerial 1080 operations, including those imposed by public health permissions, apply only to the application of the toxic agent.

4.       1080 Dust (frass)
1080 dust was witnessed and filmed during the operations both in loading the helicopters and when the 1080 was being aerially spread with the helicopters flying at times within 200m of households and over farmland and livestock water supplies.
a.     I am requesting a copy of the 1080 dust health report as reported in the Greymouth Star February 2019.

This part of your request was transferred to the Ministry of Health (12/3/2019), as the report referred to in the Grey Star article was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and the article refers to the report being “ongoing”.

The report on a scoping study of dust drift from an aerial application of 1080 carried out in 2015 is publicly available at

https://www.esr.cri.nz/assets/Uploads/FW15060-1080-dust-report-FINAL-web.pdf

b.       What monitoring of 1080 dust and wind is required?

There is no requirement for routine 1080 dust monitoring either within the loading zone or outside it. Public health staff have no involvement in any wind monitoring so I am unable to provide any information about this.

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Page last updated: 7 May 2019

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