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

“Contact your general practice team first” is the message from clinicians as we head into winter

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  3. “Contact your general practice team first” is the message from clinicians as we head into winter

Tuesday 31 May 2022Health news3 minutes to read

In response to a significant demand for health care services, West Coasters are being asked to contact their general practice team first to discuss available options before turning up.

West Coast DHB’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Graham Roper says that with winter on our doorstep, we are starting to see an increase in demand for unplanned care services which is adding additional pressures to our services.

“Your general practice or healthcare provider should be your first port of call if your health issue is not an emergency. Please plan ahead as much as possible for your routine health care, and book early. Your usual healthcare provider will offer some urgent appointments when required.

If you present at Te Nīkau Hospital’s Urgent Care clinic for a non-emergency condition, you are likely to experience a long wait to be seen as we need to triage everyone presenting to ensure those in the greatest need, with life-threatening conditions are seen first.”

“Across the system, we are also currently experiencing sustained high levels of acute demand which has resulted in more people needing to be admitted to hospital for on-going care. This in turn is starting to have a direct impact on the amount of planned care such as surgery and procedures we can provide,” says Dr Roper.

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 more information: Find a GP, medical practice, clinic or health centre | West Coast DHB (wcdhb.health.nz).

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, it’s important to seek immediate help in an emergency – don’t delay.  If you are injured or experiencing severe symptoms, it’s critical that you call 111.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses like influenza, it is important that people keep up the healthy habits:

  • Wearing masks in all indoor settings
  • Maintaining physical distancing
  • Practising good hygiene by regularly and thoroughly washing or sanitising your hands
  • Opening windows and doors to increase ventilation wherever possible
  • Staying home if you’re unwell
  • Taking a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) if you have COVID-19 symptoms or you are a close household contact of a positive case
  • Reporting your test results – positive and negative on My COVID Record (https://mycovidrecord.health.nz/)
  • Ensuring all your immunisations are up to date – including your flu immunisation and COVID-19 booster.

Visitor restrictions for all DHB facilities can be viewed online: Visitors and family | West Coast DHB (wcdhb.health.nz)

ENDS

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Page last updated: 31 May 2022

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