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

People asked to urgently return any items of medical equipment they have borrowed

Tuesday 20 December 2022Media 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.

People asked to urgently return any items of medical equipment they have borrowed

Te Whatu Ora in Waitaha is asking people to urgently return any items of medical equipment they have borrowed but no longer need, before the holiday break.

“Anyone who borrowed equipment and has forgotten to return it – no matter how long ago – is asked to give it back, no questions asked,” says Jacqui Lunday Johnstone, Executive Director of Allied Health, Scientific and Technical.

“We are running low on some of the equipment that we issue to patients from Christchurch Hospital and Burwood Hospital, such as shower stools and toilet frames.

“People sometimes simply don’t get around to returning equipment, or they put it away and forget – but this means another patient in need may miss out, or face delays in being able to leave the hospital and go home.

“If we don’t get some of this equipment back there will be an impact on discharges over the holiday period. If anyone has any equipment that’s simply sitting unused and unneeded in their home or garage, please return it to Christchurch or Burwood Hospitals.”

To drop off at Christchurch Hospital:

Come in the main entrance off Riccarton Avenue. Drive past the Emergency Department entrance (on your left) and down the ramp in the lower ground car park. Drive around the carpark back towards the exit. There is a trolley on the left near the double doors where you can leave the equipment.

To drop off at Burwood Hospital:

Occupational therapy department, Physical Medicine Building, Gate 3, Mairehau Road, Burwood.

Please label the equipment with the borrower’s name.

Equipment includes (but is not limited to):

  • Shower stools
  • Toilet frames
  • Bed levers
  • Crutches
  • Pulse oximeters
  • Any hospital equipment you no longer need.

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Page last updated: 14 February 2023

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