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

Community support & advocacy

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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.

  • Christchurch Resettlement Service – CRS exists to support people from refugee and migrant backgrounds living in Christchurch to settle successfully in New Zealand by providing a range of professional services that build on strengths to promote wellbeing and resilience. (they have a PDF resource with contacts)
  • Purapura Whetu – a Māori Health and social service provider. Their Muslim Wellbeing Team offer a whānau centred approach to community support work for people of all ages
  • Victim Support – provides people affected by the Christchurch mosque attacks with access to professional counselling, funded by Victim Support.
  • The Canterbury Refugee Centre advocates on behalf of the refugee communities resettled in the Canterbury area.
  • Supporting Families in Mental Illness runs support groups that offer a safe place for you to meet others who are on the same journey. It offers free, caring, professional, and confidential services in Christchurch and Canterbury (from Kaikoura to the Rangitata River).
  • Mental Health Foundation has a directory for Canterbury support groups, including bereaved parents and mothers navigating parenthood or suffering from anxiety disorders.
  • Human Rights Commission – offers a free, informal enquiries and complaints service to deal with unlawful discrimination and racial and sexual harassment issues. If you think you have faced unlawful discrimination, you can make a complaint to the Human Rights Commission.
  • Office of Ethnic Communities wants to ensure ethnic communities are strong and connected. They provide information, advice and services to, and for, ethnic communities in New Zealand and administer funds to support community development and social cohesion.

Page last updated: 17 August 2022

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