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

UPDATE: Christchurch Hospital staff caring for 34 people injured in terror attack

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Sunday 17 March 2019Media 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.

Canterbury DHB Chief Executive David Meates briefs media on the status of patients injured in the terror attack

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

We currently have 34 patients who were injured in the mosque attacks in Christchurch Hospital.

Two were discharged late yesterday and we expect two more people will be well enough to go home later today.

There are currently 12 people in intensive care in a critical condition. We expect a small number of these people to be well enough to transfer to other wards later today.

There is also one 4 year old girl in Starship Hospital in Auckland in a critical condition. She was transferred from Christchurch to Auckland on Saturday 16 March.

Yesterday we treated and discharged 9 new patients who were injured in the mosque attacks and presented at the Christchurch Hospital emergency department with injuries such embedded glass fragments, lacerations and back, knee and foot injuries.

Christchurch Hospital has good capacity at present and we are well staffed.

We are prioritising patients harmed in the mosque attacks for surgery over the coming days.

Today we are running 7 acute theatres which is more than we would usually have operating on a Sunday – we would usually have 3 operating theatres running.

Many of these people need multiple surgeries due to the complex nature of their injuries, and the need to provide a number of shorter surgeries in a phased way so patients have the best chance of recovery.

This does mean that we are postponing some planned surgery for local people – and I thank them for their understanding. [Tomorrow we’re postponing 38 operations to accommodate the urgent surgery we need to carry out.]

Outpatient appointments are going ahead as planned.

I want to stress the importance of looking after yourself and each other.  Feeling on edge and upset right now is a completely normal reaction.

Disasters and big shocks take a toll on all of us, and coping is not always easy.

Spend time with people you love and talk about how you’re feeling.

Remember those vulnerable people in our community too – connect with neighbours, older people and those who live alone.  Be kind to one another – kindness is contagious.

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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