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 Health’s Acute Stabilisation Unit to close overnight on Wednesday in response to reduced staffing capacity

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  3. Buller Health’s Acute Stabilisation Unit to close overnight on Wednesday in response to reduced staffing capacity

Tuesday 30 July 2024Health news3 minutes to read

Buller Health will be introducing alternate care plans to its acute care service overnight on Wednesday in response to staff illness.

From 5:30pm on Wednesday (31 July) through to 8:30am on Thursday (1 August), the Acute Stabilisation Unit (ASU) will be closed. During this time, if you have an emergency, please dial 111 and ask for an ambulance.

  • Hato Hone St John will continue to provide usual emergency response services.
  • A PRIME (Primary Response in Medical Emergencies) trained clinician will be available on-call to support Hato Hone St John respond to emergencies.
  • Anyone needing admission will be transferred to Greymouth’s Te Nīkau Hospital.

All services including GP and nurse practitioner appointments, outpatient clinics, allied health and district nursing continue to be available at the facility during normal working hours.

For appointments, enquiries, prescriptions, or results please phone Buller Medical Centre on 03 788 9277 during weekday opening hours (Monday – Friday 8:45am – 5:00pm).

Another way to access an appointment with a GP or Nurse Practitioner is by using one of the available telehealth services.

  • Ka Ora provides an after-hours virtual telehealth service with virtual GP consultations. People can access the service by calling 0800 252 672.
  • Healthify, offers virtual consults or telehealth between 8am and 8pm. You can find a list of virtual care providers on healthify.nz.

“Unfortunately, we need to close the ASU overnight on Wednesday due to staff sickness. Like everyone else in the community, our staff are susceptible to winter illnesses and when they are unwell, it’s important they take time away from work to get well,” says Helen Gillespie, Health New Zealand West Coast’s Operations Manager – Northern.

“We would like to thank the Westport community for their understanding and apologise for any inconvenience this situation may cause. Please be reassured that if you or a whānau member needs emergency care this is available.”

Trusted health advice

  • If you are feeling unwell with any condition, you can phone Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free health advice 24/7 or your general practice team to discuss your situation and symptoms rather than visiting in person. This will ensure that you get to access appropriate treatment and medication to help you stay well, even if you are at home isolating.
  • For pregnancy support and advice over the phone, please call your midwife/LMC (Lead Maternity Carer).
  • If you have questions about your young child or baby’s health phone Plunketline on 0800 933 922 to speak to a Plunket nurse.
  • You can also visit our HealthInfo website or your community pharmacy for health advice.

HealthInfo is a health information website that has information specific to the West Coast. It is written and approved by local doctors, practice nurses, hospital clinicians, and other healthcare professionals and features a mix of health information, fact sheets on different topics, and descriptions of local health services.

  • If you’re worried about yourself, or someone in your whānau who has a respiratory illness, see the checklist here of symptoms to watch out for, and when you should seek medical advice.

Remember, if you or a member of your whānau are injured or experiencing severe symptoms, it’s critical that you call 111.

You can stay up to date by visiting our website – www.wcdhb.health.nz or following us on Facebook.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 30 July 2024

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