Christchurch Outpatients

ORANGE

Hospital visitors don’t need a Vaccine Pass, but must wear a surgical/medical paper mask. Fabric face coverings are no longer acceptable. See our COVID-19 pages for visiting guidelines, COVID-19 tests current case numbers in regions of Canterbury and care in the community advice. See www.vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz for info about vaccinations.

We are at ORANGE according to the NZ COVID-19 Protection Framework

Last updated:
19 April 2022

For visitors to all facilities effective from Tuesday 19 April 2022

With the change to the ORANGE Traffic Light setting, Canterbury DHB is easing its visitor policy in recognition of the fact we have passed the peak of the current Omicron outbreak and case numbers are slowly reducing.

The following visitor restrictions are now in place for all Canterbury DHB hospitals and health facilities:

One adult visitor may be accompanied by no more than one child over the age of 12 per patient in the hospital at any given time, except where stated otherwise in the ‘exceptions’ section below. No children under 12 and those 12 and over must be accompanied by an adult and wear a medical mask.
Visitors or support people should not visit our facilities if they are unwell.
Surgical/medical masks must be worn at all times at all Canterbury DHB sites and will be provided if people don’t have them.
Hand sanitiser stations are visible and must be used.

By adhering to these conditions, you help keep our patients, staff, other visitors and yourself safe. We 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.

Exceptions to the ‘one visitor’ policy

Exceptions can apply in some circumstances (ie more than one visitor) where a trusted whānau member provides assistance, reassurance and other support for therapeutic care or on compassionate grounds – please talk to the ward’s Charge Nurse to discuss this before you come to hospital to visit. For whānau with an essential support role as a Partner in Care – please check with the ward’s Charge Nurse before you come to hospital to visit
People attending Christchurch ED or Ashburton AAU can have one support person with them
Women in labour and in the birthing suite can have two support people, and women on the Maternity Ward are allowed one support person for the duration of their stay in our facilities at Christchurch Womens Hospital and other maternity units. Only one support person can be with each woman in the maternity ward, and one support person for maternity clinic appointments, no children are allowed to visit.
Parents/caregivers can be with their baby in NICU.
Parents/caregivers are able to be with their child in hospital (Except Children’s Haematology and Oncology Day patients where only one parent or caregiver is permitted, following a supervised negative RAT result)
Children who are inpatients, one other visitor (other than a parent or caregiver) is able to visit in consultation with the nurse in charge.
People requiring support when attending an appointment can have one support person. Please let the relevant service know if you need this so they are able to accommodate your request.

Exceptions for people with disabilities

An exception will be made for people with disabilities who are in hospital or have to attend an outpatient appointment – where they need a support person to access health services. For example, a sign language interpreter, support person for someone with a learning disability, or someone to assist with mobility. The support person is in addition to the one permitted visitor.

Face covering exemption cards

The Exemptions Team at the Ministry of Health is now responsible for processing requests for Face Covering Communication Cards.

Updated information about mask wearing, and how to request an exemption card can now be found here. People unable to request an exemption card online can call 0800 28 29 26 and select option 2, or text 8988

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

More COVID-19 information

Visitor restrictions effective from 19 April 2022 until further notice

You do not need to show your My Vaccine Pass to enter DHB facilities, but you must wear a paper surgical/medical mask at all times unless medically exempt, or eating or drinking in a designated area.

If you need a support person with you at your appointment, please call the number on your outpatient appointment letter to arrange this.

Note: some outpatient appointments will continue to be carried out ‘virtually’ either over the phone, or by a video/Zoom call.

For more details about what to do when visiting please see our COVID-19 page.

Enquiries and feedback

We welcome your feedback about our services and your experiences at Christchurch Hospital.

Note: We cannot give medical advice by email. Please contact your doctor or the person in charge of your medical care.

In an emergency

In a medical emergency, call 111 and ask for an ‘ambulance’.

The Emergency Department is for serious emergencies only, not for long-standing or minor injuries or illnesses which can be treated by your family general practice team or an after hours clinic.

If you are unwell please don’t use the shuttle.
Shuttle passengers are asked to use the hand sanitiser upon entry to the shuttle.
The front passenger seat must remain empty.
It is mandatory for all passengers over the age of 12 to wear surgical/medical masks on the shuttle, unless you have an exemption.

About the shuttle service

The hospital shuttle service runs from the Deans Avenue car park, stopping at Waipapa building Emergency Department entrance, Christchurch Outpatients Building, and the main entrance of Christchurch Hospital.

Shuttles run every 15 minutes from:

Monday to Friday: Shuttles run between 6.15am and 8.30pm. Drivers have a mandatory 30 minute lunch break around 1pm, there may be some delay at this time.
Saturday and Sunday: Shuttles between 11am and 8pm. No shuttles operate between 2.30pm- 3.15pm on weekends, this is a mandatory break for shuttle drivers.

How to use the shuttle

The Deans Ave Car Park, near the Moorhouse Ave end of Deans Ave, is sealed, fenced and lit in the evenings.
Please take your ticket from the machine at the barrier arm as you enter the car park, and park anywhere there is a space. You can park for up to 24 hours.
As the shuttle service is only for users of the Deans Ave Car Park, please have your ticket ready to show the driver if requested.
Make your way to the covered waiting area in the middle of the car park with seating provided. The Hospital Shuttle will pick up from and return here.
Parents are responsible for bringing their children's car seats. The shuttle can accommodate prams.

The shuttle is not suitable for wheelchairs. There is mobility car parking on site and near Christchurch Hospital.

Paying for your parking

Pay for your parking at one of the pay machines before you return to your car.
Payment is available via cash (coins and notes), credit card and eftpos $0.60 transaction fee applies.

Parking costs and time limits

Monday to Friday (Day): $5.00 for first four hours parking. $1.50 per 1 hour thereafter or part thereof to a maximum of $15.00
Monday to Friday (Nights – Entry after 6pm): Max charge $10.00. Valid until 9am the following morning
Weekends: $5.00 for first four hours parking. All day (Valid until 6am the following morning) $10.00.

Shuttle route and car park

The shuttle journey takes around 8-10 minutes depending on traffic.

The car park is a clear walk through Hagley Park to the hospital. This walk takes around 15-20 minutes and there is a sealed footpath all the way.

Our shuttles are clearly marked with the Deans Ave Car Park destination, so please make sure that you get on the correct shuttle.

This is the only shuttle service run by Canterbury District Health Board.

We recommend using the hospital shuttle service which runs from the Deans Avenue Car Park, as there is only very limited on-street parking near the Outpatients building itself.

If you prefer to try to park nearer the hospital the nearest off-street car parking to the Outpatients building is a Wilsons car park on Antigua Street, but there are several other car parks within a short walk. See the City Council’s website for an up-to-date parking map.

See Christchurch Hospital for more detailed information about parking and transport.

If you are a mobility parking permit holder you can park in one of the designated mobility car parking spaces (indicated by a wheelchair icon on the map below) located outside the front of Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch Outpatients and nearby on Cambridge Terrace.

If the mobility parking map does not display: This Google map is designed to work with up-to-date versions of web browsers such as Chrome, FireFox, Edge and Safari, please upgrade or use a different browser if the map does not display .

Drivers can drop patients off and pick them up – no waiting! – outside the building and park elsewhere.

This area is very congested, including deliveries to the building, cyclists and pedestrians.
Volunteers and security personnel will be on hand to assist.
All drop-off parking is P5 – Drop-off only. Mobility parking is P30.

See this short video for more information.

If you cannot see the video on this page, you can view it on Vimeo.

Many buses stop right outside Christchurch Hospital in both directions – towards and away from the city centre.

Check www.metroinfo.co.nz for more details of bus routes and timetables.

If the map above does not display: Google maps only display if you are using up-to-date web browser software such as Chrome, FireFox, Edge and Safari. If you are using an out-of-date browser such as Internet Explorer please upgrade, or use a different browser.

There is bike parking outside main hospital entrances for staff and public use, bike park locations are listed on the map below.

Security note: Bike parking is at the owner’s own risk, please lock your bike securely to a bike rack with a D-lock, not a thin loop of wire / combination lock.

ORANGE

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Visitor restrictions effective from 19 April 2022 until further notice

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