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

Christchurch Hospital’s main entrance reopened with a temporary container entrance

Tuesday 9 February 2016Media 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.

Christchurch Hospital's main entrance is now open with entry via a temporary shipping container ‘tunnel' to allow people to safely enter the main entrance to Christchurch Hospital.

Canterbury DHB chief executive, David Meates, commended the team who pulled out all the stops to get the entrance reopened over the weekend.

“Over the next two days we have a number of experts coming to inspect the glass canopy, and advise on whether there are things we can do to make it safer, or whether the glass needs to be removed and replaced with something else.

“Until we have that advice, the container entrance will remain in place. I apologise for the inconvenience. Until we know more, we will not put people at unnecessary risk,” Mr Meates says.

What you need to know:
The former two-way road on the hospital site, has been temporarily converted to one way traffic, for safety reasons.

The public have two options when dropping off friends and family. Either the under-cover drive-in Christchurch Women's entrance​, or further along past the green water tanks, outside the Otago School of Medicine building where there is a temporary drop off and pick up zone.

It's signposted on the footpath, and there are volunteers stationed at this stop to assist people.

The former bike park ‘cage' which runs alongside the green water tanks, has been brought into use temporarily as a secure walk-way for pedestrians coming from Christchurch Women's to the main entrance, ahead of new bike racks being installed.

The shuttle is still operating and dropping off and picking up patients from Hagley Outpatients and the new temporary set down area, outside the School of Medicine building.

Security, volunteers and reception staff can tell you where to go if you're not sure.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 19 October 2022

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