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

Buller community invited to tour Buller Health’s new facility – Te Rau Kawakawa

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Friday 14 April 2023Health news3 minutes to read

The doors to Buller Health’s new facility – Te Rau Kawakawa will be open to the public on Friday, 28 April 2023 to give the Buller community an opportunity to take a look inside before services move across from the existing facility in early-May 2023.

“A significant Buller Health Centre project milestone was reached earlier this month when our team began the operational readiness phase in preparation for the move to the new facility,” says Te Whatu Ora Executive Director, Infrastructure for the West Coast and Canterbury, Dr Rob Ojala.

“The operational readiness phase is the period of time where we get the facility ready. This includes a number of tasks such as staff orientation and training, equipment installation, stocking of consumables and clinical supplies as well as completing information technology infrastructure works. The facility will also undergo a thorough clean prior to staff and patients moving in.

“To support our on-going planning and preparation, we reviewed our progress earlier this week and everything is on track for moving to the new facility. The anticipated ‘go live’ date, which is when we expect the new facility will become operational and staff and patients will have moved is on track for Monday 8 May.”

“This is a really exciting time for the West Coast health system, and we are looking forward to welcoming the Buller community into our new facility – Te Rau Kawakawa,” says Dr Ojala.

Te Rau Kawakawa Public Open Day

When

Friday, 28 April 2023

Time

Anytime between 2pm – 6pm

Where

Buller Health’s new facility – Te Rau Kawakawa, 46b Cobden Street, Westport (come to the main entrance).

ENDS

Note to editors:

Buller Health’s new facility – Te Rau Kawakawa

The 7-overnight bed facility has been designed to support an integrated model of care and will house a range of services including general practice, acute care services, primary birthing and postnatal care, palliative care, urgent care and child dental services.

Our community services like District Nursing and Home & Community Support Services, Hauora Māori service, mental health service as well as drug and alcohol services will also be located within the new facility.

Clinical services will be supported by radiology and laboratory (phlebotomy) support services on the same site. The co-location of services will facilitate a collaborative approach to providing health care services, with a focus on improving the patient experience.

Two wayfinding maps (A3, colour) – one for the facility and the campus map – are available on our website: https://www.wcdhb.health.nz/about-us/key-projects-and-initiatives/

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Page last updated: 14 April 2023

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