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

Encourage your staff to get vaccinated today!

Wednesday 1 December 2021Health news5 minutes to read

Encouraging staff to get vaccinated has meant our team will be 100% double vaccinated by Christmas, says Westfleet Seafoods CEO Craig Boote.

“We have a lot of respect for our team and their beliefs, but the fact is we need to be 100% double vaccinated to be compliant with the requirements of the international seafood industry.

“I’m really proud of each and every one of my team who has got the jab, they’ve been vaccinated to support their fellow workers and their families because we needed them to be vaccinated to keep the doors open.

“I would encourage all West Coast business owners to have a chat over smoko or over a beer, to work through the concerns that their staff members may have, and to reassure their teams that we are all in this together so we need to be vaccinated for our jobs, our livelihoods and our community.”

Encouraging your staff to get vaccinated is incredibly important. Our mobile clinics are offering to visit Coast businesses for kai, kōrero and COVID-19 information and vaccination sessions. If you’d like a vaccination team to visit your workplace to answer questions, bring smoko and carry out vaccinations please call 0800 492 342 to book a time

“If you’ve been thinking about getting the jab, get it done today,” says Helen Gillespie, Programme Manager, COVID-19 Vaccination, West Coast DHB.

“We need 473 people to get their first dose by this Friday to get the Coast to 90% first dose vaccinated. This is the important milestone we need to meet in order to meet our goal of being 90 percent double-dosed (fully vaccinated) by 24 December.

“The most important thing you can do to protect yourself from Covid-19 is to get vaccinated. Talk to your friends, family and whānau who need to get their first jab and encourage them to get it done, so that we can all have an amazing summer together.

“We have pop-up clinics all over the Coast, no bookings are necessary, just head on down. C’mon Coasters, let’s get to 90%.”

And don’t forget, everyone on the Coast who’s double vaxxed by 24 December will be in the draw to win a brand-new Ford Escape or a 2WD Ford Ranger Ute!

The prize will only be drawn if the West Coast hits the 90% double vaccinated milestone by Christmas Eve. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, you’ll need to have your first dose by Friday 3rd December to allow a 3 week gap between your first and second doses.

Thanks to Development West Coast and Grey Ford for the incredibly generous prize!

NOTES FOR REPORTER

In order to reach these people prior to the summer holidays, we have increased the number of mobile pop-up clinics to our programme. As well as visiting workplaces, making home visits and attending events, our vaccination teams are visiting our smaller rural communities where we know there are still people who have not yet been vaccinated.

We are also working with our West Coast health system partners such as Poutini Waiora to ensure that we have a range of clinic options available across the Coast.

We use a range of strategies to inform our rural communities about our pop-up clinics such as distributing flyers to mail boxes, putting posters up around town and sharing clinic details with local community members. Where appropriate, our staff contact people by phone or visit them to invite them to get vaccinated. For example, if the opportunity arises our mobile vaccination teams do go door knocking to let people know when a mobile clinic is in town for the day.

Our C’mon Coasters advertising campaign is well underway and is using social media, radio and newspaper advertising to promote our clinics. This campaign includes advertising tailored to specific age groups like 20 to 34 year old West Coasters.

We offer one-on-one confidential chats for anyone wanting more information on how the COVID-19 vaccine works at all of our clinics. Everyone one is welcome to drop in and speak with one of the team whether they get vaccinated or not. We also recommend people speak to trusted health professionals like their doctor and access information from reliable sources like the Ministry of Health (Ministry of Health NZ) and Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz) websites.

Mobile/pop up clinics over the next week

(No bookings are necessary for any of our vaccination clinics, just turn up wearing a mask and clothing that makes it easy to access the top of your arms!  You’ll need to scan or sign-in, and there’ll be plenty of hand sanitiser around to pump on.)

Day

Time

Location

Friday, 3 December

10.00am – 4.00pm

Hokitika – Pakiwaitara, 32 Weld Street, Hokitika

Saturday, 4 December

10.00am – 1.00pm

Kumara – Kumara Sports Ground

Sunday, 5 December

11.00am – 2.00pm

Ross – Community Hall

Monday, 6 December

1.00pm – 5.00pm

Whataroa – Community Hall

Monday, 6 December

12.00pm – 2.00pm

Ngakawau – Health Clinic

Tuesday, 7 December

9.00am-1.00pm

Franz Josef – Health Clinic

Tuesday, 7 December

9.00am-1.00pm

Karamea – Karamea RSA

Wednesday, 8 December

9.00am-1.00pm

Haast Health clinic

Thursday, 9 December

11.00am – 3.30pm

Reefton – Reefton Community Hall, 50 Shiel Street

Friday, 10 December

10.00am – 8.00pm

Hokitika – Pakiwaitara, 32 Weld Street, Hokitika

Sunday, 12 December

TBC

Reefton – Reefton Community Hall, 50 Shiel Street

Wednesday, 15 December

TBC

Arahura Marae, Old Christchurch Road, Arahura

Thursday, 16 December

11.00am – 3.00pm

Reefton – Reefton Community Hall, 50 Shiel Street

Friday, 17 December

10.00am – 4.00pm

Hokitika – Pakiwaitara, 32 Weld Street, Hokitika

ENDS

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Page last updated: 1 December 2021

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