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 moves to support local Rest Home

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Thursday 31 March 2022Health news2 minutes to read

West Coast DHB Chief Executive, Dr Peter Bramley, has today announced that following discussions with the Board of Dixon House the DHB will be appointing a temporary manager to bolster the facility’s critical staffing situation.

The DHB-appointed manager will work alongside the manager of Dixon House.

“This facility has a great reputation for providing excellent quality care to residents on the Coast, and we want to ensure they are around for many more years to come. We need to retain the Rest Home and Hospital Level Care beds that they are providing on the Coast.

“The issue they are facing is not unique – recruiting staff to work in Aged Residential Care is challenging,” Dr Bramley said.  “We believe that with the DHB committing to putting in a temporary manager for a period of up to 9 months, this will support the facility and provide its Board time to recruit additional staff to secure the future of the facility.

Dr Bramley said having more staff on board would also ensure the facility could meet the terms of its contract with the DHB.

Dixon House Trust Board Chair Pat Beck said the Board fully supports the permanent/ongoing manager, stating she does an extraordinary job.

“This temporary manager is not a replacement but will work alongside our manager to support with the recruitment and management of the service on a temporary basis,” Pat Beck said.

Peter Bramley said the temporary manager would be in place this week.

He added that all residents’ families and next of kin had been advised of the changes.

ENDS

Note to editor:

Dixon House is an independent 42 bed Aged Residential Care facility with 22 Rest Home Care beds and 20 Hospital Care beds. They also provide palliative and respite care.

The facility is currently home to 32 residents.

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Page last updated: 31 March 2022

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