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.

Kia whakahaumaru te whānau, me ngā iwi katoa – this is 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 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

Serving up a festive treat for Canterbury patients

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Thursday 24 December 2020Media release2 minutes to read

Supervisor Chef Oliver Fernee and Chef Dharam Devkota busy preparing the delicious Christmas meals for our patients.

R:L Supervisor Chef Oliver Fernee and Chef Dharam Devkota

The highlights of a kiwi Christmas can range from backyard cricket to a trip to the beach. But one thing that connects most kiwis is sharing delicious Christmas kai with friends and whānau.

Canterbury DHB’s WellFood team are well aware of the tradition of enjoying a great Christmas meal and that’s why they go the extra mile to serve up a mouth-watering Christmas feast to patients each year.

The team are busy preparing the almost 1100 Christmas meals they’ll be plating up for patients who find themselves in one of Canterbury’s hospitals on Christmas Day.

Some of the delicious options across our five hospitals will include roast turkey, chicken, lamb and baked ham with all of the traditional condiments – cranberry, pineapple, gravy and mint sauce.

The Christmas treats don’t end there with a range of tempting desserts to round off the merry menu including trifle, pavlova, fruit salad, mousses and Christmas pudding.

WellFood Service Manager Neville Patrick says this year has been hard for many and being in hospital over the festive season is never easy.

“If we can give our patients an extra dose of Christmas cheer, it makes all the extra work worth it,” says Neville.

Around 130 staff working in the kitchens will also prepare over 50 “meals on wheels” to spread the Christmas spirit through the local community as well.

“It’s a real highlight each year for our teams across Canterbury, knowing that we’re able to brighten up Christmas Day for our patients.

“We’re also pleased we can give our hard-working staff a Christmas meal while they are working and missing out time with family”, Neville says.

ENDS

For further information, contact:

communications@cdhb.health.nz

 

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Page last updated: 24 December 2020

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