HOSPITAL VISITING

Hospital visiting guidelines updated 16 September 2022: Hospital visitors must wear a surgical/medical paper mask. Fabric face coverings are not acceptable.  See our COVID-19 page for general COVID-19 advice, detailed hospital visiting guidelines and COVID-19 tests.

See www.vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz for info on vaccinations.

Last updated:
16 September 2022

Fewer visitor restrictions now apply

For visitors to all facilities effective from 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

CE Update – 9 April 2019

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Tuesday 9 April 2019CE Update4 minutes to read

Articles in this update include:

  1. A word from Chief Executive David Meates (incl. West Coast Health System audit, West Coast health facilities update & Advance Care Planning)
    Need to talk?
  2. HealthOne Newsletter 11th edition 2018
  3. Advance Care Planning – an important part of health care (David and Penny Anderson recently celebrated 58 years of marriage and although their 60th
    anniversary is still a couple of years away they have started talking about how to celebrate this momentous milestone.)
  4. Lifestyle changes improve health and wellbeing (Margaret Manuel decided it was time to focus on her health and wellbeing when she retired three
    years ago. Margaret made a doctor’s appointment for a complete physical only to discover that the results weren’t great.)
  5. South Island Alliance (The latest news from the South Island Programme office is now available online)
  6. On-the-job training leads to Cardiac Physiology Technician qualification (Sandra Dymond started working as a Medical Technician in Grey Base Hospital about three and a
    half years ago. Sandra decided to accept the role even though she didn’t have a medical technical background or experience in the health sector.)
  7. What happens when your GP refers you for an ECG? (An electrocardiograph (ECG) records the electrical activity of your heart.)
  8. Bouquets (Hari Hari Clinic, Morice Ward, Intensive Care Unit, Catering Manager)
  9. Studentship students complete hospital-based work experience (Each year, West Coast DHB offers 20 scholarships and four studentships to West Coast students who are committed to a career in health. The focus is on encouraging and nurturing relationships with potential future employees.)
  10. West Coast DHB introduces Patientrack across the Coast (West Coast District Health Board (West Coast DHB) has started implementing Patientrack, a new digital patient observation and alert response system, aimed at helping clinicians identify deteriorating patients earlier. This system will enable clinicians to apply clinical judgement and to take appropriate, potentially life-saving action sooner.)
  11. Maternity Hui – 22 February 2019 (West Coast DHB recently hosted a maternity hui focused on long-term planning for high quality and sustainable maternity services across the Coast. The day brought together clinicians from across the health sector, social support sector, education sector, iwi, consumers and whānau.)
  12. Annie Wells’ Story (Annie Wells has two beautiful children – four year old Hadlei and four month old Zeke – who mean the world to her.)
  13. Becky Pugh’s Story (For Becky Pugh and her partner, Stephen, finding out they were expecting their first child was the best possible news.)
  14. Greymouth Countdown donates to Grey Base Hospital paediatric and maternity wards (Nationally, the 2018 Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal raised $1.2 million for much-needed items such as medical equipment or upgrading of patient facilities. All Countdown stores get involved in the annual appeal, with the Greymouth Countdown staff raising $40,000 for Grey Base Hospital paediatric and maternity wards.)
  15. Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand E-Update (In the latest issue of the Health Quality & Safety Commission’s E-digest you can read about Keri Kaa’s advance care plan story; the Commission’s acknowledgement of the skills and dedication of health professionals responding to terror attack; the new national maternity early warning system’s aim to reduce maternal morbidity and recommended evidence-based resources for reducing harm from falls.)
  16. Photographic update of Te Nīkau Grey Hospital and Health Centre
  17. New operating table delivered to Grey Base Hospital surgical ward (Nurse Manager – Perioperative Services, Theatre Wendy Stuart says that when our staff are working in an operating theatre
    with several specialities, it’s much easier for everyone if all their equipment is similar.)
  18. 2018 Quality Accounts “Focus on People” available online
  19. National Safe Sleep Day – Te Rā Mokopuna (Last December, Grey Base Hospital midwifery staff set up a display outside McBrearty Ward to promote National Safe Sleep Day – Te Rā Mokopuna.)
  20. Stretches for the office (Your body is designed to move. Holding static postures can lead to unnecessary build up of tension.  At least hourly (every 15 minutes is ideal): STOP, DROP and SHAKE. Relax your neck and shoulders; drop your arms to restore normal circulation.)
  21. 1 minute with… Chrysantha Pereira – Clinical Nurse Manager Emergency Department
  22. Choosing Wisely NZ Forum 2019 – Continuing the conversation (Choosing Wisely supports reducing unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures in health care. This forum is an exciting opportunity for health professionals to learn more about how to develop and extend their Choosing Wisely work, and to hear from consumers.)

You can read the CE Update in 2 different formats:

Read the PDF version

View on issuu.com

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