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

DHB places temporary manager in Granger House

Thursday 23 March 2017Media release2 minutes to read

The West Coast DHB has appointed a Temporary Manager at Greymouth's Granger House (incorporating Richard Seddon Hospital) aged residential care facility.

Carolyn Gullery, General Manager, Planning, Funding & Decision Support for Canterbury and West Coast DHBs says the Temporary Manager, Mary Pecekajus, has started this week.

“Mary is a registered nurse with expertise in aged residential care facility management. She has been appointed to lead and support improvements at the Kiwiannia Care Ltd aged residential care service to address some issues around care of residents and management of the facility,” Ms Gullery says.

The Temporary Manager's role is to work with and assist the owner of Kiwiannia Care Ltd and the DHB as the funder of services, to understand the areas of good service quality and also to identify and act on the areas that require improvement.  The DHB will be monitoring and supporting this quality improvement process as required. 

“Mary knows what is required to ensure quality care of frail elderly people in residential services. She understands HealthCERT and what is needed to rectify the high risk findings identified in the recent audit.”

There are no anticipated changes to usual routines and visiting for residents and their families while the Temporary Manager is in place.  

Should residents or their families have any concerns or questions, they are able to contact Alison Young, Project Specialist, Planning and Funding, Canterbury DHB, phone 0800 778 226.

ends

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Page last updated: 17 April 2019

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