HOSPITAL VISITING

Hospital visiting guidelines updated 16 September 2022: Hospital visitors must wear a surgical/medical paper mask. Fabric face coverings are not acceptable.  See our COVID-19 page for general COVID-19 advice, detailed hospital visiting guidelines and COVID-19 tests.

See www.vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz for info on vaccinations.

Last updated:
16 September 2022

Fewer visitor restrictions now apply

For visitors to all facilities effective from 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

Canterbury and West Coast DHBs planning for the 10/11 August MERAS midwives’ strikes

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Monday 9 August 2021Health news3 minutes to read

Canterbury and West Coast DHBs are implementing contingency plans for a planned eight-hour strike by midwife members of the MERAS union.

The dates and times of the planned strikes are as follows:

  • Tuesday 10 August, 11 am to 7 pm on the West Coast, and
  • Wednesday 11 August, 11 am to 7 pm in Canterbury

MERAS members include many of the midwives employed by DHBs. Lead Maternity Carers (LMCs) or midwife members of other unions will not take part in the strike action.

Dr Peter Bramley, Chief Executive for both DHBs says the DHBs’ number one priority is the continued safety of women and babies.

“Our contingency plans will reduce the demand on the staff who will be working on those days, while ensuring we can continue to provide safe care and support to women giving birth or recovering during the strike period.”

No elective caesareans have been scheduled for during the strike. Emergency caesareans and other birthing-related procedures that are clinically indicated will still go ahead.

“We encourage women expecting to give birth or be in Christchurch Women’s Hospital or Greymouth's Te Nikau Hospital during the strikes to talk to their LMC for reassurance and unless advised otherwise, they should stick to their birth plan. We are in the process of contacting all women likely to be affected by the strike action to let them know that they will still receive the best and safest care we can offer, and to reschedule any clinic appointments that need to be postponed.

The DHBs have an agreement in place with the union to ensure patients receive safe and appropriate care during the strike period. Both DHBs acknowledge the work MERAS and their members do to support patient safety by providing Life-Preserving Services (LPS) during the strike.

“We apologise in advance for the disruption and for any distress this industrial action will cause, while respecting people’s right to strike and the valued role these key staff play as part of our health system,” Dr Bramley says.

People should access urgent and emergency care as they normally would, and other non-maternity acute care services will remain available throughout the period of the planned strikes.

ENDS

Additional info

  • For anything unrelated to maternity Canterbury people can continue to call their General Practice team 24/7 as their first point of call for Care Around the Clock. Coasters should call their usual general practice. After hours they should follow the instructions to be put through to a nurse who can provide health advice. Anyone not enrolled with a GP on the Coast can call Healthline on 0800 611 116. 
  • Emergency and urgent care will be available throughout and people should access these services as they normally would.
  • Canterbury community birthing units will continue to be open for women in labour, however, post-birth transfers on the day before or on the day of the strike will be limited.
  • St George’s primary birthing unit is unaffected and will remain available throughout the strike period for primary birthing and postnatal care (women who are booked to give birth there will have priority). Transfers to St George’s from Christchurch Women’s Hospital will be by exception as clinically-indicated, and on a case-by-case basis.
  • Christchurch Women’s Hospital will be open, though with reduced staffing. We are working with MERAS to ensure there will be sufficient, suitably-skilled staff cover to ensure women and babies receive safe appropriate and care

Further enquiries, please email communications@cdhb.health.nz in the first instance.  

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Page last updated: 10 August 2021

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