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

 

Mask exemptions accepted for people seeking treatment
Any member of the public with a mask exemption is welcome in all our facilities when attending to receive health care and *treatment. Please show your mask exemption card and appointment letter to staff at the entrance.

*Treatment includes: coming into the Emergency Department, outpatient appointments,  surgery or a procedure.

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

UPDATE: Christchurch Hospital staff caring for 31 people injured in terror attack

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  3. UPDATE: Christchurch Hospital staff caring for 31 people injured in terror attack

Monday 18 March 2019Media release4 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.
Members of the public have paid their respects to the victims by placing flowers across the Christchurch hospital campus

Members of the public have paid their respects to the victims by placing flowers across the Christchurch hospital campus

Please attribute comment to David Meates, Chief Executive, Canterbury District Health Board

We currently have 31 patients who were injured in the mosque attacks in Christchurch Hospital. Two people were well enough to go home and have been discharged today. 

There are still 9 people in a critical condition in intensive care. We continue to transfer any that are well enough to go to other wards as we can. People injured in the mosque attacks are our priority for surgery and other specialist care over the coming days. There is still a 4 year old girl in a critical condition in Starship Hospital in Auckland, transferred there on Saturday. Her father has also been transferred to Auckland and remains in a serious but stable condition.

Christchurch Hospital has good capacity at present and we are well-staffed, but we are also conscious that many of our people have worked long hours and will have been profoundly affected by this tragedy too. We need to look after them so they can look after you.

We are still asking the public to appreciate the additional workload on all of our health system staff.  The hospital is extremely busy, as is primary care – you should continue to make your general practice team your first point of call for all non-urgent care. Call the usual general practice number 24/7 and after hours, you can get advice from a nurse – they will tell you what to do and where to go if you need to be seen.

Today we are running all available acute theatres for the many people who need follow-up surgery or procedures due to the complex nature of their injuries.

This means that we are postponing  a significant number of surgeries planned for Cantabrians and others to free up theatre space and surgical teams today. To those who have had their surgery postponed, thank you in advance for your generosity and understanding.

Outpatient appointments are going ahead as planned.

As the majority of us return to work and school today, it’s probably more important than ever that we connect, share our thoughts and experiences, and help each other process what has happened. Spend time with people you love and talk about how you’re feeling. Consider taking a digital detox and take a break from social media. Instead, focus on an activity you love or on the people around you.

Look after yourself and those around you and remember that people cope in different ways. Disasters and tragedies take their toll and our resilient Canterbury people have been through much in recent times. For some that may make things easier because of the coping skills they have learned, but for others it may bring back unwelcome feelings or add to their anxiety. Feeling on edge and upset right now is a completely normal reaction. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint, so allow yourselves time and be kind to yourself and others –  a simple kind act or generosity of spirit and the support you give others might come at just the right time to make all the difference to them.

Supporting our kids and whānau

  • Children take their cues of parents — so if you’re okay, they’ll be okay too…
  • Be mindful how much ‘worry’ you’re displaying, just be as cool as you can!
  • Keep children away from the media.
  • Answer their questions pretty matter-of-factly and in very ‘general’ terms. Drama it down. You don’t have to get the answers exactly right here. Ensure you talk too about the police and how they did a really good job of keeping us safe. Keep the reassurance low key too — over-reassuring can make us think we need to be worrying more than we are!
  • Let them talk about it, but don’t let it ‘take over’ – use distraction to keep their mind off it
  • Stick to your normal routines as much as you can.

If you want to talk to a trained counsellor, you can phone or text 1737 to be put through to a counsellor any time of the day or night. This is a free service for everyone.

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Page last updated: 19 October 2022

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