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

Maternity unit
Department: Te Nīkau Hospital & Health Centre Maternity UnitDivision: Women's Health

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Maternity unit

Based on the ground floor of Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre, the Maternity Unit is situated at the north end of the hospital, a short walk from the Peaberry cafe.  The Maternity Unit is a new modern well equipped unit with two birthing rooms; each having its own birthing pool and six antenatal / postnatal bedrooms available for our women.  Each bedroom has its own en suite and television.  There is a shared public kitchen area available for women and their whanau to use during their stay. 

Day Wear

  • Comfortable clothes suitable for breastfeeding, which open at the front or separate at the waist
  • Bras – maternity bra or soft bra (as breast size can vary significantly)
  • Breast-pads
  • Underpants suitable for wearing a sanitary pad

Night Wear

  • Nighties or pyjamas, dressing gown (remember convenience for breastfeeding), slippers with good grip soles

Also Bring

  • Birth plan
  • West Coast Breastfeeding Handbook
  • Breastfeeding Plan
  • Relaxation CDs / iPOD
  • Maternity notes
  • Nutritious snacks
  • Barley sugars for labour
  • Camera
  • Pen (for completing baby’s feed chart)

PLEASE LEAVE VALUABLES AT HOME

Optional

  • Biscuits / snacks, fruit
  • Decaffeinated coffee or herbal tea
  • Lip balm
  • Headband/hair ties
  • Pillow / pillow case
  • Jandals for shower

For Baby in the Maternity Unit

  • Hat and booties (woollen)
  • Baby wrap – shawl or blanket
  • Baby clothes, including singlets, gowns or ‘all in ones’
  • Something to wipe baby’s bottom (e.g. soft cloths)

Car seat

In accordance with NZ legislation your baby must travel in a car seat. Please make sure you are familiar with how to put your seat into your car and that your car seat complies with NZ Safety Standards.

Find a child restraint technician

Make sure you are familiar with how to install your baby / child car seat into your vehicle and that it complies with New Zealand safety standards. To find a local child restraint technician to assisting in fitting your car seat, please click here:

Child Restraint Information

For more information on NZ child restraints, please click here:

Preparing for going home

On the day of your discharge please arrange to be picked up and plan to leave by 11.00 am. You will need to ensure you have a car seat to take baby home and suitable clothing for baby.

Before coming into Te Nīkau Hospital & Health Centre, please notify your Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) midwife who will arrange your admission to the facility.

In some circumstances partners may be allowed to stay in the unit overnight. However, this depends on whether there is space in the unit at the time, and is at the discretion of the unit manager.

Motherhood is an exciting, but tiring time. Mums and their new baby/pēpi need time to get to know each other.

However, we also recognise that on the Coast whānau may have to travel some distance to meet their new whanau member.

So, we’ve updated our visiting hours by adding an additional time slot for visitors. This adds flexibility for whanau and friends, but still gives our Mums and their baby /pēpi some uninterrupted rest time

  • Visiting hours are 10am – 12pm and 4pm to 8pm.
  • Visitors that mums have nominated can visit at any time but only one visitor at a time, and they must be a well-adult.
  • No child visitors at this time please (see ‘exceptions’ further up the page).

To keep our Mums, babies and everyone safe:

  • Sterilise hands on entry to the Maternity Unit
  • Do not visit if there any signs of coughs, colds, sore throat, infection or a runny nose
  • Do not visit if you have had diarrhoea or vomiting  within the last 48 hours

Please use hand sanitiser provide in the maternity unit before and after touching a baby or new mother.

After-hours access

To access after 8.30pm and before 6am (if you are one of the mother’s nominated visitors) enter the front doors of the main entrance to Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre. On the right hand side there is a red phone which will connect you directly to the front desk receptionist.  The receptionist will open the doors and let the Maternity unit know you have arrived.  If you require assistance, an orderly or Maternity Unit staff member will escort you.

Page last updated: 14 July 2021

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