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

West Coast DHB bringing its cleaning, orderly and grounds services in-house

  1. Home
  2. Health news
  3. West Coast DHB bringing its cleaning, orderly and grounds services in-house

Monday 29 June 2020Media release2 minutes to read

West Coast DHB bringing its cleaning, orderly and grounds services in-house

West Coast DHB has announced that it is taking over management of its cleaning, orderly and grounds services for Greymouth, Hokitika, Westport and Reefton from 1 October 2020.

While the current service provider, ISS, will not be retained when its contract expires on 1 October, the DHB is offering ongoing employment to all affected staff in those areas.

The move follows West Coast DHB bringing its food services in-house in 2019. Similarly, last year Canterbury DHB brought its cleaning services in-house under the Environmental Services name and branding. West Coast and Canterbury DHB support services are jointly managed by one team and the West Coast will also adopt the Environmental Services name and logo on the cleaning, orderly and grounds services staff uniforms.

Staff contracts with West Coast DHB will contain the same terms and conditions as their current contracts, and they will enjoy additional benefits as West Coast DHB employees.

West Coast DHB General Manager Philip Wheble says the DHB is grateful for the great service ISS has provided over the last five years.

“We value their support over the coming months as we migrate to the new Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital and Health Centre facility, and as we work together to assist staff to transition to DHB management.

“We look forward to formally welcoming our cleaning, orderly and grounds staff as our West Coast DHB colleagues,” says Philip.

ENDS

Tags

Related topics

Back to Health News

Page last updated: 10 May 2021

Is this page useful?