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 prepares for NZNO strike

Tuesday 10 July 2018Media release2 minutes to read

New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants have voted to strike from 7am Thursday 12 July until 7am Friday 13 July. This will impact services at all West Coast DHB facilities including some General Practices and community care.

Our priority is to ensure we maintain safe patient care and minimise disruption for hospital inpatients and those receiving care in their own homes during the strike period.

As part of its contingency plans West Coast DHB has contacted patients whose outpatient appointment or surgery has had to be postponed. Patients whose appointments and procedures are being deferred will be contacted directly by phone.

Importantly, our hospital and health centres throughout the Coast will remain open and continue to provide essential and urgent services including emergency care and acute surgery and maternity care. Our wards will remain open but with reduced capacity. If you have a family member who will be in hospital on the day of the strike, you are welcome to spend more time with them than you usually would.

Remember if you need health care advice, make your general practice team your first port of call for care around the clock.

After-hours you can phone Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free health advice. A nurse will advise on what to do and where to go if it's urgent and you need to be seen by a doctor.

In an emergency, you should still phone 111. On the Coast our most rural areas have Rural Nurse Specialists on call to respond to emergencies. Chief executive David Meates says West Coast DHB regrets having to defer outpatient appointments and surgery. “We appreciate how disruptive this it to those affected. Please be assured our staff are trying to rebook patients as quickly as possible.

“I would also like to thank everyone who has been working on our contingency planning for their work to date preparing for this strike and to everyone involved in ensuring that essential health services will remain available during the strike.”

If patients need to check on their appointment, they can call the Central Booking Unit on (03) 769-7400, extension 2901. If possible, quote the NHI number which is usually in the upper right hand corner of the letter.

ENDS

Tags

Related topics

Back to Health News

Page last updated: 17 April 2019

Is this page useful?