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 can also read the additional COVID-19 related visiting guidelines .

Canterbury reaches 90 percent fully vaccinated milestone

Friday 3 December 2021Media release3 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.

Canterbury has today hit the 90 percent fully vaccinated milestone!

Today the Canterbury community has reached the milestone of having 90 percent of our eligible population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 says Dr Helen Skinner, Canterbury’s Senior Responsible Officer for the COVID-19 response.

“To see 90 percent of our population fully vaccinated as we head into summer and the Christmas break is just amazing,” says Dr Skinner.

“Thank you to all Cantabrians who’ve rolled up their sleeves and got vaccinated. I’m hopeful that we won’t see many Cantabrians falling seriously ill even if they catch COVID-19 due to our high vaccination rates.

“Our vaccination teams have worked incredibly hard to reach this milestone. We thank our primary care partners including general practices and pharmacies, Māori and Pasifika health organisations, lead maternity carers and midwives, community leaders and community providers who have gone above and beyond to reach our communities, and Canterbury businesses who continue to support the vaccination campaign.

“We are still working hard to kōrero on vaccination with our Māori community and to reassure pregnant people that getting their vaccinations is safe.

“We are committed to continuing to encourage all eligible Cantabrians to get vaccinated, and to encourage people who are already protected to reach out to those who still may feel hesitant.”

Our drop-in clinics provide safe, welcoming spaces for anyone to come along, have a chat, and have all their COVID-19 vaccination questions answered. Our mobile clinics and community pop-up events see our vaccination teams visiting where people live and work. 

You can find your nearest vaccination clinic here https://vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz/.

It’s also worth noting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is now available for those aged 18 and older who cannot receive the Pfizer vaccine, and for people who would like a different option and bookings can be made using Book My Vaccine or by calling 0800 282 926.

“I’d also like to remind the community that now is a good time to start preparing for what you need to do if you do catch COVID-19.

“Readiness is about people and communities being prepared to support each other. It is things like deciding what whānau can do when someone tests positive, making lists of those who can help, figuring out how to get food and essential items, and what else you might need when isolating,” says Dr Skinner.

People are able to use the simple COVID-19 Readiness Checklist to prepare for if they or someone in their household or community contracts COVID-19.

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Page last updated: 27 February 2024

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