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

Care around the clock to continue throughout junior doctors’ strike

Monday 25 February 2019Media 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.
Care around the clock will continue to be available for Cantabrians throughout the junior doctors' strike

Care around the clock will continue to be available for Cantabrians throughout the junior doctors' strike

To be attributed to: Michael Frampton, Chief People Officer, Canterbury DHB

With the New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association 48-hour strike action starting tomorrow at 8am, Canterbury District Health Board is reminding people that they can help take the pressure off emergency services by always making their General Practice team the first port of call for their healthcare needs.

The 48 hour junior doctors’ strike runs from 8am tomorrow, Tuesday 26 February until 8am on Thursday 28 February.

The Emergency Department at Christchurch Hospital will continue to provide emergency care during the strike, and you shouldn’t hesitate to dial 111 in a life-threatening emergency. However, for most other healthcare you should always call your own general practice team first. Save their phone number in your mobile phone so you can easily access free health advice after hours.

When you call your general practice after hours, follow the instructions on their voicemail and a team of registered nurses will be ready to take your call – any time of day or night. They provide free health advice. If you need to be seen urgently, they can tell you what to do and where to go.

You can meet some of the #carearoundtheclock nursing team and learn more about the service they provide here.

If you need to visit a general practice after hours, you can visit one of these Urgent Care practices:

  • The 24 Hour Surgery – 401 Madras Street. Phone (+64) 3 365 7777
  • Moorhouse Medical – 3 Pilgrim Place, open 8am – 8pm daily. Phone (+64) 3 365 7900
  • Riccarton Clinic – 6 Yaldhurst Road, open 8am – 8pm daily. Phone (+64) 3 343 3661

For trusted health advice, you can also visit our HealthInfo website or visit your community pharmacy for health advice.

HealthInfo is a health information website that has information specific to Canterbury. It is written and approved by local doctors, practice nurses, hospital clinicians, and other healthcare professionals, and features a mix of health information, fact sheets on different topics and descriptions of local health services.

People shouldn’t delay seeking medical treatment if they need urgent medical assistance at any time. Always dial 111 if it’s a life-threatening emergency.

People whose surgery or outpatient appointment has been postponed due to the strikes have been contacted directly.  If you want to check if your appointment or surgery is still on, please call 0800 778 226 – after hours you can leave a message and someone will return your call the following day.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 19 October 2022

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