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

Cantabrians’ wellbeing continues to improve

Wednesday 18 December 2019Media release3 minutes to read

The 2019 update to the Canterbury Wellbeing Index shows Cantabrian's wellbeing continues to improve

Canterbury’s latest wellbeing indicators show that most people continue to rate their quality of life highly.

A major update to the Canterbury Wellbeing Index was released today by Canterbury District Health Board. The Index uses data from many different local and national agencies, as well the Canterbury Wellbeing Survey, to bring together information about wellbeing in Christchurch City, Selwyn District and Waimakariri District.

Evon Currie, chair of the greater Christchurch Psychosocial Governance Group, says quality of life ratings have reached the highest level ever since surveying started, with over eight in ten (86%) greater Christchurch residents rating their quality of life positively.

“Greater Christchurch is going from strength to strength, with new developments helping contribute to a real sense of vibrancy. This, combined with the fact far fewer of us are still working through insurance and other earthquake related stressors, is contributing to overall improvements in wellbeing,” says Currie.

While quality of life in Christchurch City has risen the most since the first Canterbury wellbeing Survey in 2012 (up 15% to 86%), overall there is very little variation across the region, with 89% of Selwyn residents, and 87% of Waimakariri residents, rating their quality of life positively in 2019.

Currie says loneliness continues to be a significant issue amongst Canterbury youth, with 15% of 18-24 year olds reporting feeling lonely or isolated always or most of the time in 2019. This figure is significantly higher than 6% for the overall adult population. The 65-74 year age group has the lowest proportion reporting loneliness , at less than 2%.

In a related finding, the 18-24 year old age group also has the highest proportion (16%) who would find it hard or very hard to talk to someone if they were feeling down.

“It is apparent that we need to explore ways in which we can address loneliness among young people. Are we doing enough for our young people? This is a key question our community, and our policy makers, need to keep asking.

“Someone who is lonely, and who doesn’t feel there is anyone they can talk to, is vulnerable. As a society we all need to step up and ensure we are there for each other and no one falls through the cracks,” says Currie.

The Canterbury Wellbeing Index contains 57 indicators across a diverse range of domains including education, housing, health and employment, and includes a separate section focusing on 19 Māori wellbeing indicators. The interactive Index website enables users to easily extract the information they are interested in.

The Canterbury Wellbeing Index, and a link to the full findings of the Canterbury Wellbeing Survey, can be found at www.canterburywellbeing.org.nz

We all need a bit of support from time-to-time, and if you or someone you know is struggling, there is free help available. Free call or text 1737 any time, 24 hours a day.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 18 December 2019

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