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

Canterbury and West Coast Health Disability Action Plan

Marking a major milestone for equitable care, the collaborative Canterbury and the West Coast Health Disability Action Plan was launched in July 2016. It is an action plan, and so the launch is only the beginning.

The aim of the Plan is to ensure people who experience disability in across the Transalpine area have the health services they need and are included in decisions about their health care. This ten year Plan is the product of more than a year of consultation with Disabled Person’s Organisations (DPOs) to define priorities for the first two years and map our way forward for the next eight.

It’s a work in progress, as it needs to remain responsive to people’s changing needs. Consultation too is ongoing and one of the most important actions for the coming year is to invite input from the wider community, particularly those with a disability who aren’t represented through a DPO.

Having your say on the plan

In August 2019 the general public were invited by Canterbury and West Coast DHB's to provide feedback about the plan so that it can be refreshed and updated.

Disability Steering Group (DSG)

The formation of a steering group with representatives from the community, the disability sector and from across the health system marks the achievement of the first of the Plan's promised actions

The purpose of the group is to ensure people with disabilities in the Canterbury and West Coast District Health Board areas have the health services they need, and feel included in decisions about their health care. The group has been selected to ensure the right balance of representation and to gather round a single table a wide range of relevant knowledge and expertise.

Read more about the Disability Steering Group (DSG)

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Page last updated: 11 December 2019

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