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

Hokitika Rest Home working with Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini West Coast to ensure ongoing care

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Thursday 21 July 2022Health news2 minutes to read

In response to a shortage of Registered Nursing staff at Allen Bryant Aged Residential Care (ARC) facility in Hokitika, some residents are being temporarily relocated to other facilities.

Unfortunately, this situation is not unique – recruiting staff to work in Aged Residential Care is challenging. The current workforce issues are being felt around the country, with some rest homes in other areas having to close due to a lack of staff.

Ultimate Care Allen Bryant, supported by Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini West Coast (Te Whatu Ora), are working together to ensure that safe and appropriate clinical care is maintained for residents with complex clinical needs.

Ultimate Care Group’s Chief Executive Officer Ben Unger says “unfortunately, we have struggled to recruit the required number of nurses that would enable us to continue providing our more clinically complex residents with the care they need. We know that this situation is unsettling for everyone involved and appreciate the support provided by Te Whatu Ora to ensure that our residents continue to be well looked after”.

Executive Director of Nursing Becky Hickmott says, “Allen Bryant has a great reputation for providing an exceptional level of quality care to its Coast residents and it is really important to the team that they continue to maintain services and that their residents receive the right level of clinical care.

While we anticipate that this temporary solution presents a sustainable way forward for Allen Bryant, it is also important to acknowledge that we will be continuing to review this situation over the coming weeks. Te Whatu Ora will continue to support the facility to ensure that the relocation runs smoothly, with as little disruption as possible for residents and their whānau”.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 21 July 2022

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