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 .

Mental Health and Resilience

Community support & advocacy

Looking after yourself isn’t something you need to do alone – there are several organisations who can support you and advocate on your behalf.

read more Community support & advocacy»

Donation advice

Donating money or items such as clothing and food, can be a useful way to support those in need.

read more Donation advice»

Grief and loss

We all handle grief in different ways. Feeling sad is completely normal, and there are people and services available to help you cope.

read more Grief and loss»

Health providers and counsellors

Information about counselling and support services available to people in Canterbury.

read more Health providers and counsellors»

Helping our Muslim communities feel safe and welcome

New Zealand’s Muslim communities still feel vulnerable. You can support them and help them feel accepted and wanted.

read more Helping our Muslim communities feel safe and welcome»

Immediate help for mental health issues

There are many helplines available for immediate mental health related assistance.

read more Immediate help for mental health issues»

Looking after mental health and wellbeing

We all have mental health, and just like there are ways we can improve our physical health, there are things we can do to improve our mental health too.

read more Looking after mental health and wellbeing»

Supporting children and young people

Children and young people often need special assistance to cope with trauma and difficult times. They look to adults for help. The information in this page can assist you in providing that help.

read more Supporting children and young people»

Tough times

After a traumatic event it is normal to feel distressed, and to experience thoughts, feelings, or physical sensations that you may not have had before.

read more Tough times»

Volunteering

Volunteering Canterbury is a great place to start if you're looking for a way to help out within the community.

read more Volunteering»

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Page last updated: 18 July 2022

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