VISITING HOSPITAL

All hospital visitors are recommended to wear a medical face mask. Expand this message for information about visiting hospital.

Last updated:
13 March 2023

Some visitor restrictions for all Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury hospitals and health facilities remain in place, but we have relaxed others.

There is still a heightened risk to vulnerable people in hospital and so we recommend all people wear a mask when visiting any of our facilities and follow other advice designed to keep patients, staff and  visitors safe.

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 may have more than one visitor, except in some situations such as multi-bed rooms where it can cause overcrowding.
  • Surgical/medical masks are recommended to be worn at all sites. Masks will be provided if you don’t have one.
  • For Specialist Mental Health Services everyone is strongly encouraged to wear a face mask in all inpatient areas and areas where consumers are receiving care (i.e. community appointments, home-visits, transporting people). Discretion may be applied in cases where masks impair your ability to communicate effectively.
  • Visitors must not eat or drink in multibed rooms because of the increased risk when multiple people remove their face 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.

Visiting patients with COVID-19

  • People can 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.

All of our Hospitals

Visiting hours for our hospitals have returned to pre COVID-19 hours with the exception of Christchurch Women’s Hospital.

All visitors are recommended to wear a medical face mask.

Parents/caregivers are able to be with their child in hospital and visitors are now allowed, except for the Children’s Haematology and Oncology Day stay where just one parent/caregiver is able to attend their appointment with their child. Exceptions by special arrangement only.

Patients and visitors should also read the additional more detailed visiting guidelines for each specific hospital.

More COVID-19 information

Nephrology

The Nephrology Department at Christchurch Hospital provides a renal service for the population of Canterbury, South Canterbury, and Westland. This includes dialysis, acute renal failure, and outpatient services for renal disease.

The department also provides Renal Transplant Services for people not only in Canterbury and Westland but also Otago and Southland.

Clinical Service

See Dialysis services for more detailed information

General inpatient nephrology

Inpatient beds for general nephrology are located on ward 14 at Christchurch Hospital. Patients cared for on these wards include those admitted briefly for investigation or treatment of renal disease, patients with pre-existing renal disease complicated by intercurrent illness, and dialysis patients with problems related or unrelated to their renal failure or dialysis. In-patient care is supervised by one of the consultant nephrologists.  A nephrologist is a medical doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating kidney conditions.

General outpatient nephrology

Patients are usually referred to the nephrology clinic by their general practitioner (GP), or by another medical team. Patients who are referred to the nephrology clinic may be experiencing symptoms such as blood or protein in their urine, hypertension, or decreased kidney function.

The aim of the Nephrology  clinic is to find the cause of any kidney related problems and to try to prevent them from getting worse.

Once a diagnosis has been made, the nephrology team will work with the patient to develop an individualised treatment plan. This may involve medications to manage blood pressure or other symptoms, lifestyle changes such as dietary modifications or exercise, or in some cases, dialysis or kidney transplantation.

The clinic is run weekly on a Thursday morning in the Outpatient building, Christchurch Hospital.

You can read more about the outpatient clinic in our What to Expect at Your First Renal (Nephrology) Outpatient Appointment patient information sheet (200KB, PDF)

Nephrology Supportive Care Clinic (NSCC)

The NSCC (Nephrology and Palliative Care Services Clinic) is a specialised clinic that focuses on providing high-quality care for patients with kidney disease who are not treated with dialysis, as well as those who are being treated with dialysis but experience distressing symptoms. Additionally, the clinic offers support for patients and their carers and provides information and guidance to help patients make decisions about their treatment and dialysis options.

The NSCC aims to treat and reduce symptoms associated with kidney disease and provide patients with an opportunity to discuss treatment options. The clinic also helps patients plan for the future by discussing how they would like to be cared for as their health deteriorates. Ultimately, the NSCC aims to provide support for patients and their families to ensure they receive the best possible care and quality of life.

The clinic is run every two months on a Thursday afternoon in the Nephrology Department, Christchurch Hospital.

You can read more about the clinic in our Nephrology Supportive Care Clinic (NSSC) patient information sheet (200KB, PDF)

Nephrology team

The nephrology team include:

  • 6 consultant nephrologists
  • 2 advanced trainee registrars (6-12-month attachments)
  • 1 Research Fellow registrar (1-year attachment)
  • House surgeon (3-month attachments)
  • Dialysis nurse manager
  • Inpatient and dialysis nurses
  • 2 renal transplant co-ordinators
  • 2 Clinical Nurse Specialists
  • 1 CKD educator
  • 2 Administrators
  • Computer systems manager
  • Dialysis technicians

Nephrology Staff

Clinical Director/Nephrologist

Dr Nick Cross

Nephrologists

Dr David McGregor

Dr John Irvine​

Dr Penny Hill

Dr Reshma Shettigar

Professor Suetonia Palmer

Dialysis Nurse Manager

Ms Wendy Cuthill

Service Manager

Ms Natalie King

Nephrology careers in Christchurch

The registrar posts are suitable for advanced training in nephrology under the auspices of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. See our careers website at www.cdhbcareers.co.nz

Page last updated: 27 April 2023

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