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

The Canterbury Health System makes a flying start to Patient Safety Week

Wednesday 2 November 2016Media 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.

This week is New Zealand's national “Let's Talk” Patient Safety Week, coordinated by the Health Quality & Safety Commission.

Patient Safety Week is our Health System's collective commitment to consumers and patients that we continue to strive towards providing the best and safest care possible, every time.

Susan Wood, Canterbury DHB Director Quality and Safety, says that although patient safety is our number one priority all year round, Patient Safety Week is an added opportunity for Canterbury health professionals to focus efforts on achieving the goal of zero harm.

“We have undertaken a number of initiatives to make sure the messages from Patient Safety Week get the attention of our staff, and the general public.”

Another important initiative for Patient Safety Week this year has been the support of primary care in getting the zero harm message across. They are, after all, the first point of call for most people. Thanks to the willing cooperation of our PHOs: Pegasus Health, Canterbury Rural PHO and Christchurch PHO, we will be giving advice to more people about the simple things they can do to keep themselves safe.

“We have picked two themes to push in Canterbury, because even a small gain makes a big difference – Hand Hygiene where we have performed well but are still tantalisingly short of the national health target of 80%, and Falls Prevention where our outstanding work in preventing falls in the community has been internationally recognised,” Ms Wood says.

“Especially for Patient Safety Week, we have breathed new life into our ‘It's okay to ask me' initiative, which as you may recall enlists the help of patient to check whether their health care worker has washed or sanitised their hands. This is a helpful reminder to the clinician, reinforces the importance of clean hands to the patient, and empowers people to take responsibility for ensuring they stay well.”

The Falls Prevention messages are also empowering, aimed at people who might be at risk and prompting them to take action on their own behalf and seek advice and assistance from the right people.

Both sets of messages have printed material such as stickers, posters and table talkers and this is where primary care's buy-in is critical, as they will help us ensure the material is displayed where it will be seen and their commitment to the “it's OK to ask me” initiative adds .

“Look out for these colourful messages if you happen to be visiting a general practice or a hospital during Patient Safety Week.”

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Page last updated: 19 October 2022

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