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

Healthcare information for the Easter weekend

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Thursday 14 April 2022Media 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.

Some Canterbury health services are being deferred as DHB staffing impacted by COVID-19

Healthcare information for the Easter weekend

Dr Helen Skinner, ECC Incident Controller, Canterbury DHB, is urging people to continue to test themselves for COVID-19 over the weekend if they have symptoms.

“Our case numbers often drop at the weekend and pop back up on Tuesdays. Our COVID-19 community testing centres are open over the long weekend and it is really important that people with any cold and flu-like symptoms, and household contacts, take a COVID-19 test and isolate as they are required to if it is positive,” says Dr Skinner.

“Logging your test result on the My Covid Record website or by calling 0800 222 478 means that you will be provided with the support you need while isolating.”

Over the long weekend, the opening hours for our COVID-19 community testing centres are:

  • Orchard Road COVID-19 Testing Centre, 174 Orchard Road, Harewood, Christchurch (near Airport), is open 9am – 4pm daily. 
  • Whānau Ora Covid-19 Testing Centre, 250 Pages Road, Wainoni, Christchurch, is open 9am – 3.30pm daily.
  • Ashburton COVID-19 Testing Centre, 48 South Street, Ashburton (entrance off Cass Street), is open 10am – 2pm daily.
  •  

Check https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/canterbury/?covidTesting=rats  for RAT collection sites’ opening hours over the Easter weekend. Please remember to order your RAT kits in advance through the website https://requestrats.covid19.health.nz/.

If you need to get your COVID-19 vaccination or booster, there are also a number of vaccination clinics open https://vaccinatecanterburywestcoast.nz/vaccination-clinics-over-the-public-holidays/.

“Boosters help to protect you and others from severe illness or hospitalisation. There are still a lot of Cantabrians who are eligible for their booster who haven’t had it, so make the time this weekend to get it done,” says Dr Skinner.

“People can still get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they’ve previously tested positive, providing they wait three months before getting a COVID-19 vaccination.”

“Those of us who can get vaccinated should do it now. Vaccination is your best protection against Omicron.”

If you are heading away, make sure you pack enough of your regular medications for the duration of your holiday. If you’re going to need a repeat prescription while away, get it sorted before you leave town.

Make sure you are aware of the risk that the spread of COVID-19 might affect your holiday plans and be prepared should this happen.

If you get ill over the long weekend, you can call your own general practice team 24/7 for care around the clock.

Emergency Departments (ED) at hospitals throughout New Zealand often run at capacity over the holiday weekend. Making your regular general practice team your first port of call, wherever you are, will help keep EDs free for those who need emergency care.

“If your symptoms are getting worse, please seek medical care before you get too sick, whether that is from your normal healthcare provider or from our healthcare facilities if you are really unwell,” says Dr Skinner.

“Treatment and health advice for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 is free.

“Acute and emergency care will always be available. Our hospitals have the highest level of infection prevention and control measures in place and we encourage everyone to continue to seek the care they need when they need it.”

After-hours information, as well as a list of pharmacies and clinics open during the Easter holiday period can be found on Healthpoint at https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/search?q=canterbury.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 27 February 2024

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