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

Busy weekend of events offers a timely reminder to stay home if you are unwell

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Thursday 12 November 2020Health news2 minutes to read

Unite against COVID-19With the influx of visitors expected on the Coast this weekend, the West Coast DHB is setting up a COVID-19 testing centre on the Te Nīkau Hospital & Health Centre campus in Greymouth.

The pop up COVID-19 testing centre will be open from Friday 13 November for three days, between 11.00am until 1.00pm each day,” says David Smith, Manager of Integrated Services – Southern.

“We will be here for anyone with symptoms to pop in and get tested over those three days. While we believe the risk of community transmission is still low, we are expecting an influx of people visiting the Coast from all around New Zealand,” Mr Smith says.

Come off High Street, over the bridge and you will see the pop-up testing centre immediately to your left alongside our stores building. Follow the instructions at the site.

“Anyone who develops symptoms over the weekend can attend our pop-up testing centre, but it is advisable that they self-isolate during this time. The average turn around for COVID-19 test results is within 48 hours with results provided by general practice teams.”Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

  • A new or worsening cough
  • Sore throat
  • Runny nose
  • Fever
  • Temporary loss of smell
  • Difficulty breathing.

If you or someone in your whānau have any of these symptoms, please call your own general practice team or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice (a free, 24/7 service with interpreters available) – they will explain what to do. You can also visit www.covid19.govt.nz.

“If you are out and about this weekend, remember the usual public health precautions such as good cough and sneeze etiquette, hand hygiene and physical distancing (wherever possible stay two metres away from people you don’t know, and one metre away from people you do know) practices apply,” Mr Smith says.

If you have the COVID-19 Tracer app installed on your phone or device, please scan the QR code each time you visit somewhere new. This helps make contact tracing easier. As always, if you are unwell please stay at home.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 12 November 2020

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