HOSPITAL VISITING

All hospital visitors are recommended to wear a medical face mask. For more information about visiting: Visitors and family. See our COVID-19 page for general COVID-19 advice, detailed hospital visiting guidelines and COVID-19 tests.

See West Coast COVID-19 vaccination clinics for info on vaccinations link COVID-19 Vaccination • West Coast • Healthpoint

Last updated:
16 September 2022

Fewer visitor restrictions now apply

For visitors to all facilities (effective from and last updated on 16 September 2022)

Some visitor restrictions for all Te Whatu Ora Te Tai o Poutini West Coast health facilities remain in place, but we have relaxed others.

There is still a heightened risk to vulnerable people in hospital and so people must continue to wear a mask when visiting any of our facilities and follow other advice designed to keep patients, staff and other 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 in single rooms may have more than one visitor while patients in multi-bed rooms can have one visitor only per patient to ensure there is no overcrowding.
  • People can have one or two support people to accompany them to outpatients appointments.
  • Women in labour in a birthing suite, in Te Nīkau Hospital’s Maternity Ward and in Buller’s Kawatiri Maternity Unit can have the usual support people, subject to space, for the duration of their stay in our facilities.
  • Eating or drinking at the bedside is at the discretion of the Clinical Nurse Manager. Visitors must not eat or drink in multibed rooms because of the increased risk when multiple people remove their 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.

Mask wearing

  • Surgical/medical masks must be worn at all sites, except in counselling, mental health and addiction services where it’s on a case-by-case agreement with patients. Masks will be provided if you don’t have one. In higher-risk environments, people, including young children, may not be able to visit if they cannot wear a mask.
  • 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.

Visiting patients with COVID-19

  • People are able to 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.

You must NOT visit our facilities if you

  • are COVID-19 positive
  • are unwell. Please stay home if you have a tummy bug or cold or flu/COVID-19-like symptoms (even if you’ve tested negative for COVID-19).

Te Whatu Ora West Coast Aged Residential Care facilities

Visitors are welcome at our Aged Care Residential facilities, subject to the space available. All visitors must wear a surgical mask.

More COVID-19 information

Stop smoking (smoking cessation)
Division: Smoking CessationWest Coast DHBWest Coast PHO

Stop Smoking (smoking cessation) services/programmes on the West Coast

Do cigarettes rule your life?

You can be smokefree

• This is the most important thing you can do for your health
• You can gain control and get rid of your smoking addiction
• You owe it to yourself and your family

Service 1 – Smoking cessation service

The West Coast DHB provides a specialist smoking cessation service. This is being delivered by Ann McDonald in Greymouth (at the Corner House, at 129 High St, opposite the Mobil Service station and New World supermarket) and Jeanette Thomas at Buller Health in Westport.

The service provides:

  • Free individual sessions
  • Direct referrals
  • Cessation programme tailored to meet YOUR needs.
  • We provide a motivating and supportive environment for you to explore your smoking addiction and to make permanent changes.
  • Up to date information on ways to quit and medications that are proven to help.

Remember: using smoking cessation support will double your chance of quitting!

How it works

  • We help you explore the reasons you smoke, and support you in making positive lifestyle changes to become smokefree for life.
  • Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and other medications may help you through the withdrawals, making it easier to quit.
  • This combined approach has been proven to be more effective to those ready to make this important change in their lives.

Contacts:

Smoking cessation advisors can be reached on:

Ann McDonald

Physical: Cowper Hub, cnr Cowper & Morice Street, Greymouth 7805
Postal: Cowper Hub, WCDHB, PO Box 387, Greymouth 7840
03 769 7488
03 768 6716
027 648 1158

Jeanette Thomas

Physical: Buller Health, Westport
Postal: Buller Health, PO Box 248, Westport
03 788 9238
03 788 8223
027 648 1159

Service 2 – Stop smoking service

Community and Public Health in Greymouth provide the Oranga Hā Tai Poutini stop smoking service, delivered across the Coast by staff based in Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport.  [see their promotional material under our Resources tab on this page]. 

Service 3 – Coast Quit programme

The West Coast PHO funds the Coast Quit programme for all the medical centres and health clinics on the West Coast and the community pharmacies in Hokitika and Greymouth. This programme, which is offered by a trained smoking cessation person at your GP Practice or local pharmacy, provides medication and support to quit smoking, for six to eight weekly or fortnightly sessions, at a maximum patient co-payment of $2.50 per session.

It is based on two ‘active ingredients’:

  1. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) patches, gum or lozenges, to reduce the withdrawal effects from stopping smoking, and
  2. one-to-one support sessions for several weeks while you make the lifestyle change from smoker to ex-smoker.

The Coast Quit programme can be repeated, if necessary, up to three times in a 12 month period.  Other support options include the national Quitline service 0800 778 778, the hospital-based cessation counselling services in Greymouth 03 769 7488 and Westport 03 788 9238, and the Oranga Ha – Tai Poutini programme 0800 456 121.

Your Coast Quit support person will give you more information about NRT and about dealing successfully with urges to smoke after you’ve decided to stop.

Find out more about the Coast Quit programme.

Service 4 – Smokefree Pregnancy and Newborn Incentives programme

Services 1) and 2) above also provide the Smokefree Pregnancy and Newborn Incentives Programme to assist women who want to quit smoking during pregnancy, and for the first four months after baby is born. In addition to the usual stop smoking medication and support, this programme provides up to $350 in New World vouchers over 12 weeks prior to the birth and up to $250 over 16 weeks after the baby is born.  Read more about Smokefree Pregnancy in our ‘Maternity section’.

Page last updated: 5 April 2024

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