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

Special donation is the next best thing to a fairy-tale

Thursday 26 November 2015Media 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.

A school girl who knows what it is like to be in hospital has spent hours making fairy dresses for Christchurch Hospital Children's Activity Room.

Eliza Mcdonald and her mother Rachel, visited the Activity Room last week to donate the six carefully made, colourful satin dresses.

Allie Bower, Canterbury District Health Board Child Health Services Team Leader Christchurch Hospital Play Specialist, says it is lovely to receive such a heartfelt donation.

“Eliza has clearly worked very hard to achieve her goal. She has covered all the bases producing a durable and washable dress that meets our criteria within our service,” Ali says.

“The tamariki in the Activity Room and children's wards will enjoy using their imagination and dressing up in these princess dresses.”

Eliza says after spending time on and off in various wings of Christchurch Hospital over the last couple of years, she understood what it is like to want to be someone else, even for just a few minutes.

“Because basically, the only thing that is mildly amusing in hospital are the beds that move up and down, and they grow stale pretty quickly,” Eliza says.

“That is why I chose to create costumes for ill children. When you dress up, you step into another world. You can become a princess, a fairy, a pirate, and everything else just flies away.”

Eliza's year 8 Personal Project is entirely centred on the children.

“I have tried my hardest to give a few little girls in hospital the next best thing to a fairytale. I want them to have fun and, most importantly, be happy.”

ENDS​

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Caption: (left-right) Eliza Mcdonald, Emily Rodgers, Activity Room intern, and Hospital Play Specialist Service Team Leader Allie Bower

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Fairy dresses hanging up in the Children's Activity Room

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Page last updated: 19 October 2022

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