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

Technology

14 news items.

CE Update

CE Update – 29 July 2020

Wednesday 29 July 2020Quick Read

West Coast DHB's own newsletter. In this July edition of the CE Update, Chief Executive David Meates gives a special... read more about CE Update – 29 July 2020»

Tags

CE Update

CE Update – 9 April 2019

Tuesday 9 April 2019

Articles in this update include: A word from Chief Executive David Meates (incl. West Coast Health System audit, West... read more about CE Update – 9 April 2019»

Tags

CE Update

CE Update – 12 November 2018

Monday 12 November 2018Quick Read

Articles in this update include: West Coast DHB tests emergency readiness South Island Rural Workforce Workshop Read... read more about CE Update – 12 November 2018»

Tags

CE Update

CE Update – 9 August 2018

Thursday 9 August 2018Quick Read

Articles in this update include: There's still time to protect yourself against the flu (David Meates, CE) Building a... read more about CE Update – 9 August 2018»

Tags

CE Update

CE Update – 6 June 2018

Wednesday 6 June 2018Quick Read

Articles in this update include: June is Men's Health Month (David Meates, CE) Coast representative joins RGPN board... read more about CE Update – 6 June 2018»

Tags

Media release

Patient wifi available at Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre

Thursday 18 May 2017Quick Read

Free public wifi internet access is now available at Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre (Note that the name... read more about Patient wifi available at Te Nīkau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre»

Media release

New endoscopy tower improves view

Wednesday 20 July 2016Quick Read

A new endoscopy tower at the Grey Base Hospital means surgeons can see more clearly when they need to carry out... read more about New endoscopy tower improves view»

Media release

West Coast makes 999,999th electronic referral

Wednesday 23 March 2016Quick Read

Two minutes after West Coast District Health Board Rural Hospital Medicine Registrar Adele Pheasant referred a patient... read more about West Coast makes 999,999th electronic referral»

Media release

New ‘virtual medical receptionist’ service to help South Westland

Friday 26 February 2016Quick Read

A new service offering greater access to booking general practice appointments in South Westland will become... read more about New ‘virtual medical receptionist’ service to help South Westland»

Showing 1-14 of 14 results, page 1 of 1.

Page last updated: 16 December 2022

Is this page useful?