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

Innovative teamwork brings tertiary centre exam to the West Coast

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Monday 17 March 2025Health news2 minutes to read

Innovative teamwork between Health New Zealand West Coast staff and Christchurch-based colleagues has resulted in computerised tomography coronary angiograms (CTCAs) now being available on the Coast for patients who need this service.

Nurse Director Operations Maria Giles says: “As a result of some innovative teamwork, we were able to complete four outpatient and one acute CTCA in Te Nīkau Hospital’s radiology services in early-February.”

“We have a local medical lead overseeing the service as well as a critical care unit (CCU) trained registered nurse and radiology staff involved in delivery. Patients who need a CTCA are assessed and referred to our team for an appointment by our Christchurch-based cardiology team.”

A CTCA is an imaging test that looks at a patient’s arteries that supply blood to the heart. Images of the heart and its blood vessels are taken and used to help diagnose many different heart conditions. Until now, West Coast patients requiring a CTCA have needed to travel to Christchurch to receive this service.

“With an average of 60 Coasters needing a CTCA annually, there are many benefits to being able to recreate a tertiary centre exam in a rural area like the West Coast. One distinct advantage is the reduction in travel time and therefore less time away from home and work. If someone does need to travel to Christchurch for a CTCA, they often need to allow for up to two days especially in winter as Christchurch CTCAs are completed in the early morning.”

“There’s also a benefit to Coasters receiving care closer to home as opposed to travelling elsewhere as often the idea of attending a diagnostic appointment surrounded by unfamiliar people and new environments can be scary.”

“A date for the next clinic has been set and we have five people booked. We are really excited about being able to offer this service and are looking forward to continuing to do so on a regular basis,” says Maria.

ENDS 

Photo: (L to R) Siemens Healthineers representatives Ethan Litchfield and Clarie Doheny, Registered Nurse Terri Neves, Radiology Team Leader Jason Lister and Radiologist Kenny Hawes.

Media contact: hnzmedia@tewhatuora.govt.nz

 

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Page last updated: 17 March 2025

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