VISITING NELSON HOSPITAL

Leaving Nelson Hospital
Please leave through the Main Entrance (on
Tipahi St).
Sanitise your hands with the handrub
provided as you leave the room or the ward.
Don’t be offended if security staff ask to
check your bags.
Main Entrance, Nelson Hospital
What if I get sick?
If you yourself have symptoms of influenza
(e.g., fever, chills, cough, sore throat, aching
muscles) then do not visit other patients in the
hospital. If you are found within the hospital
to have these symptoms, you may be asked to
leave to protect staff and other patients.
If you start to get symptoms of influenza while
in the hospital, please leave. There is
nowhere at the hospital for visitors with mild
influenza symptoms to get help. You can get
help by phoning Healthline (0800 611 116),
0800 FLU INFO or your GP. You may also
seek help from a community influenza centre,
when these have been established.
Remember to cover your nose and mouth when
sneezing or coughing and to cleanse your
hands after coughing, sneezing or using tissues.
Volunteers
If you want to become a volunteer in Nelson
Hospital (not just helping out a specific
relative or friend with influenza) then please
contact the Volunteer Co-ordinator on phone
546-1919 or 546-1727.
NMDHB 7 July 2009
VISITING
NELSON HOSPITAL
Information for supporters and
visitors during an influenza pandemic

Thank you for helping out
during this difficult time.
Visiting hours
There may be restrictions on the hours of
visiting for patients with suspected pandemic
influenza – please ask the nursing staff on
the ward. Non-support visits should be brief.
Who can visit?
Each patient may have up to two support
persons at any one time.
We appreciate any help you
can give with personal cares
(feeding, bathing, making
the bed) for the patient.
We appreciate your patience and understanding
at this time of stretched hospital
resources and stressed staff. Please be
respectful of the privacy and other needs of
others. If you are disruptive, noisy or get in
the way of care of the patient, you may be
escorted from the hospital by security staff.
You are at risk
There are several different types of influenza
- even if you’ve been sick or had a vaccine
already this season you could become
infected again.
When visiting or supporting a
patient with pandemic influenza,
follow the instructions regarding
masks, gloves and hand-cleansing.
Before leaving the room of a patient with
influenza, cleanse your hands and keep
wearing your mask until you have left the
hospital – to avoid potentially infecting others.
How to enter Nelson Hospital
Go to the Main Entrance on Tipahi St.
(Only those accompanying a patient being
acutely admitted may enter via the Waimea
Road entrance).
Cleanse your hands with the handrub
provided as you enter the hospital and the
ward where you are visiting.
Rest area
To relax away from the patient area, you may
go to the Chapel on the 2nd floor. Please do
not eat or drink in the Chapel or smoke on
the hospital campus. Supporters of children
may use the Parents’ Room in the
Paediatric Ward.
Food and drink
Please bring your own food and drink to the
hospital as there may not be any-where in
the hospital you can purchase these.
Toilets
There are toilets for visitors near each
inpatient ward. Remember to wash your
hands after using the toilet.
Cellphones
You are allowed cellphones into
the hospital but must follow the
rules about cellphone use in
individual areas.