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 can also read the additional COVID-19 related visiting guidelines .

Work to entrance at Ashburton Hospital completed

Thursday 27 April 2017Media release2 minutes to read

Work surrounding the Ambulance Bay at Ashburton Hospital is now complete and access will be reinstated tomorrow (Friday 28th April).

The work took seven weeks and involved demolishing the old Ambulance Bay and ground work, including sealing the driveway and establishing kerbing.

Ashburton Health Services Manager Bernice Marra says completion of this work means the after-hours entry and exit will be reinstated.

“For staff and visitors, this means there will be no entry through the Main Entrance after 8pm – it is through the entry beside the new build, to the right of the Main Entry. An automatic door lock has been installed on the Main Entrance doors to accommodate this,” Bernice says.

People are also encouraged to exit via the doors near Acute Assessment Unit, which are identified as the After Hours Exit, she says.

“Also a reminder that the parking spaces where the old Ambulance Bay is remain reserved for ambulances only, in order to help with the flow of patients.”

Bernice says Ashburton residents are also reminded their GP team should be their first call for #carearoundtheclock.

“Unless it's an emergency when you should call 111, always make your general practice team your first call 24/7 when you, or someone in your family is sick,” she says.

“If it's after hours, or your general practice is closed, you'll be able to speak to a nurse who will give you free health advice.”

Bernice says the nurse can advise you on what to do and where to go if you need urgent care.

“Just phone your usual general practice number and you'll get care around the clock,” she says.

If you are not enrolled with a general practice, you can call any general practice number after hours for free advice. ​

ENDS

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Page last updated: 27 September 2018

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