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

Come on West Coasters let’s get ready for the summer holidays!

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Thursday 14 October 2021Health news3 minutes to read

Please attribute the following to Philip Wheble, Senior Responsible Officer for the COVID-19 response, West Coast DHB:

Come on West Coasters, let’s get ready for the summer holidays by getting vaccinated this weekend!

We have capacity to vaccinate 3,000 people over three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) at our Greymouth COVID-19 vaccination drive-through events at the Greymouth Aerodrome from 10am – 4pm. We still have 1,706 appointment slots available which is enough to vaccinate around half of the remaining unvaccinated and not yet booked Grey district residents.

Our Westport vaccination clinic at the Masonic Lodge, 51 Russell Street will also be operating on Super Saturday from 10am – 4pm.

Getting vaccinated this weekend is a fantastic opportunity to ensure as many West Coast residents as possible have at least their first dose before the end of October.

It also offers us a chance to beat Auckland by getting at least ninety percent of our eligible population vaccinated in time for an endless summer. Currently, over seventy-three percent of eligible Coasters (20,069 people) aged 12 and over are either fully vaccinated, have had a single dose or are booked to receive their vaccination.

On Super Saturday, free transport will be provided in the Greymouth area, with minivans doing regular runs through Blaketown, Cobden and Runanga/Dunollie. Timetable information including pick-up and drop-off points is available online – West Coast Super Saturday – Vaccinate Canterbury and West Coast (vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz)

The St John West Coast Health Shuttle will also be available to take members of the public to and from the Greymouth vaccination clinics between 10am – 4pm this Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 October. Please book your seat by 3pm Friday on 0800 103 046 (option 3).

Remember, everyone vaccinated on the West Coast during October will be eligible to go into our random prize draw for vouchers from a range of West Coast businesses. We are offering this incentive as we know local businesses have been hit hard by the effects of COVID-19.

In Greymouth, West Coast Soft Serve will be on-site dishing out ice creams to everyone who has been vaccinated. All you need to do is show your COVID-19 vaccination sticker and if you have brought your children they can have a free ice cream too.

If you know someone who is yet to get vaccinated, we still need your help. Support and encourage your friends, whānau, and colleagues who are hesitant about getting vaccinated, or haven’t done so yet. Remember, getting vaccinated is the best way to protect ourselves and our whānau.

While an appointment is recommended, it isn’t necessary so if you don’t get time to make a booking, you are welcome to just turn up.

You can book online at www.BookMyVaccine.nz or by calling the National Booking team on 0800 28 29 26 (8am – 8pm, 7 days). Vaccinations are free and are available to everyone aged 12 and older.

More information about getting the COVID-19 vaccine is available online:

  • West Coast and Canterbury COVID-19 Vaccination Roll-out website – nz
  • Ministry of Health website – govt.nz
  • Unite against COVID-19 website – govt.nz

ENDS

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Page last updated: 14 October 2021

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