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

Save Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department For Emergencies

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Monday 2 August 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.

Keep the Christchurch Hospital ED for emergencies

Christchurch Hospital’s Emergency Department is extremely busy today and anyone presenting with a non-urgent condition will likely be in for a long wait.

Chief Medical Officer for Canterbury DHB, Helen Skinner, says large numbers of presentations today coupled with unexpected staff sickness has resulted in longer waits for care, and for admission to hospital.

“I want to apologise to those who are having to wait. It’s not ideal, particularly for those who are unwell and need to be moved through to a ward.

“We currently have 527 patients in Christchurch Hospital, with 105 people being assessed and treated in the Emergency Department,” Dr Skinner said.  “While we are expecting some discharges today, the volume of patients coming in the front door is significant.”

If it’s not urgent, please call your own general practice team first. After hours follow the instructions on their answerphone to be put through to a nurse who can advise on what to do and where to go if you need to be seen.

In Canterbury we are fortunate to have a number of excellent Urgent Care practices who have X-ray facilities on site and can treat a range of conditions including broken bones.

  • 24 Hour Surgery – 401 Madras Street open every day, 24/7. Ph 03 365 7777
  • Moorhouse Medical – 3 Pilgrim Place. Open 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week. Ph 03 365 7900
  • Riccarton Clinic – 4 Yaldhurst Road. Open 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week. Ph 03 343 3661.

If you don’t have a GP, you can call Healthline for free health advice 24/7, and check out the HealthInfo Canterbury|Waitaha website for localised information about a range of health conditions.

Of course, if it is a life-threatening emergency, please continue to call 111 as per usual.

Dr Skinner said there was no single condition causing the issue, it was a range of winter illnesses affecting both staff and the public.  “We usually see a lot of people on Mondays as many people tend to hold off seeking medical attention until after the weekend, however today is extra busy, and the unfortunate delays patients are experiencing are also due to staff shortages due to illness.”

“We have also had to defer some planned surgery which would require an overnight stay as we simply don’t have sufficient beds as they are prioritised for people with acute medical problems. Once again, I apologise in advance to anyone whose planned surgery has been affected,” Dr Skinner said.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 6 October 2021

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