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 Men’s Health & Wellbeing:  Adapting positively to a changed reality

Friday 8 October 2021Health news3 minutes to read

The July 2021 flooding event in Buller came at a time when many locals were still dealing with the effects of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. And then a further lockdown in 2021 has added more complications and stress.

Recognising that these events will have impacted on men’s health and wellbeing, a number of community organisations have been working on ways to help men through. 

One of the organisers, counsellor Bernard Smith says men are great at stepping up to help others in times of crisis like the flooding, “but we are not always so on to it in terms of stepping up and looking after ourselves!”

“Over the years I’ve heard all sorts of ‘a-ha’ moments from men I’ve counselled who realise they cannot be the best partner or dad if they don’t focus on their own health and wellbeing first,” he says.

A couple of typical comments from Bernard’s clients:

“It was a real shock to realise that my son was learning about how to be a man from my behaviour and that my daughter would to some degree be thinking about possible partners or boyfriends based on how I treat their mother. I need to be a better man.”

“When I got the cancer diagnosis I was only 43 and to be told you could be dead in a year, it was a shock and really made me think about my lifestyle, the booze and the job stress had to change.”

“At the moment all the Buller health and wellbeing agencies are seeing a spike in issues to do with men. We’ve pulled together a couple of programmes to try and give men a chance to help themselves,” Mr Smith says.

The first event in the Buller Men’s Health and Wellbeing series, on Tuesday 19 October features: 

  • Craig Scanlon (physical health)
  • Doug Hendrie (mental health)
  • Bede O’Connor (rural men’s health)

Homebuilders West Coast Trust Chief Executive Lorraine Scanlon says men often don’t speak out when they are in situations involving family harm, a job that is not meeting their needs, or an unhealthy relationship.

“The Buller Men’s Health and Wellbeing programme will build awareness, resilience and kindness to be the best we can be,” Lorraine says.

The Buller Men’s Health & Wellbeing series includes presentations mostly by men and for men will take place at the Westport Bridge Club, starting on Tuesday 19 October from 6.30pm to 8pm; and the second in the series on Tuesday 26 October at the same time.  Other events will be organised if there’s a need/demand.

Each evening will include two or three speakers, a panel discussion, and shared food and beverages (non-alcoholic). 

Any women who wish to attend are welcome, but are asked to bring a man with them.

A Kawatiri Men’s Health Group is also being set up to follow the presentation series, to provide regular facilitated meetings for men in the Buller community.

Organisations behind the initiative include Homebuilders West Coast, the West Coast DHB, Kawatiri Family Harm Prevention, the Rural Support Trust, the Buller District Council Recovery office, Te Hā O Kawatiri, No 37 Community House, and many others.

Register for the Buller Men’s Health & Wellbeing presentations at: sara@homebuilderswpt.co.nz, phone 027 644 0523.

For updated information about the presentations and speakers, visit www.wcdhb.health.nz/BullerMen

ENDS

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Page last updated: 9 October 2021

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