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

 

Mask exemptions accepted for people seeking treatment
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.

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.

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 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 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

Additional Novavax COVID-19 vaccine bookings now available in Canterbury

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Friday 18 March 2022Media release2 minutes to read

THIS IS AN ARCHIVED PAGE. The advice and information contained in this page may not be current and it should only be used for historical reference purposes.

Additional Novavax COVID-19 vaccine bookings now available in Canterbury

Additional bookings for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine are now available through the Book My Vaccine website.

Novavax is currently available at the Barrington Vaccination Hub at Barrington Mall, Unichem Medical Corner in Rangiora, and the Māui Clinic at South City Mall (from March 20) to people aged 18 and older as a primary vaccination course. 

The Canterbury District Health Board is reviewing demand for Novavax as vaccinations progress. If the demand remains high, we will add capacity across the region to ensure more people have access to Novavax.

“We are pleased to have a third COVID-19 vaccine option and would like to thank the team at the Barrington Vaccination Hub for their hard work delivering Novavax in Canterbury,” says Tracey Maisey, ECC Incident Controller for the Omicron response for Canterbury and the West Coast DHBs.

“It is great to see two more pharmacies offering the vaccine. Our primary care teams are working really hard to ensure that everyone gets vaccinated.”

Novavax requires two doses to be considered fully vaccinated. A three-week gap is recommended between the first and second dose. Novavax is not currently available as a booster dose. It can be given to people as a second dose, as long as it is at least 28 days since they received their first dose of another COVID-19 vaccine. However, a prescription is required from a GP if a person’s first dose was not Novavax – it’s free to get a Novavax vaccine prescription.

“I encourage anyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated to consider Novavax, to protect themselves and our community,” says Ms Maisey.

As more clinics gear up to offer Novavax, their details will be added to https://vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz/.

Further information:

There is a waitlist for appointments which is managed through CANVAX. If you cannot find a suitable appointment, please contact 0800 226 829.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 16 June 2022

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