Patients & Visitor Information

Article Index
Patients & Visitor Information
At the Hospital
Non-New Zealand Residents
Personal Needs
Your Rights
Visitors
Going Home

At the Hospital

Te timatanga.

A member of the nursing staff or the ward clerk will welcome you and show you to a room. You will not necessarily be in this room for your entire stay.

To call your nurse
You will always have a nurse assigned to your care. If you need help, ring your nurse by using the call button located on a panel behind your bedhead.

Identification bracelet
Always keep your identification bracelet on while in hospital. If it is removed for any reason, please tell your nurse immediately.

Information
Written information about your particular condition may be available. Please ask the nursing staff.

Meal service
A menu is provided each day for you to select your meals for the day ahead. Our nursing staff is happy to discuss any questions you may have about your diet or specific menu requests. If you need a special diet due to religious, ethnic or personal preference - for example if you are vegetarian or vegan - your nurse or ward clerk will arrange for the dietitian to discuss your needs with you.

A general guide to meal times:

• Breakfast is between 7.30 and 8.30am
• Morning tea is from 10.00am
• Lunch is between 12.00 and 1.00pm
• Dinner is between 5.00 and 6.00pm

Most wards have coffee and tea making facilities for patients to use. Check with your nurse. Biscuits of your own may be kept in an airtight container unless you are on a special hospital diet as part of your treatment.

Smoking
Bay of Islands Hospital grounds and premises are Smokefree at all times.
Please tell your nurse if you are a smoker as soon as practicable after admission, so if assistance is requested it may be offered by referral to Northland DHB’s ‘Quit Coach’. No drugs or alcohol may be consumed on the premises.

Leaving the ward
Please do not leave the ward, other than for things like medical tests, without first checking with your nurse. To ensure you get proper care, we need to know where you are at all times.

Meals on Wheels and home help
If you have been using Meals on Wheels or other home help services please ask a nurse to cancel them while you are in hospital.

Laundry
While you are in hospital please arrange for a friend or relative to do your personal laundry. Contact the ward nurse manager if you do not have anyone who can help you.

Reading
The NZ Herald is delivered to the Ward each day. There are also a small number books and magazines that can be borrowed for the duration of your stay. If you would like anything to read during your stay please ask your nurse.

Flowers
Your flowers will be delivered to you as soon as they arrive.

Telephones
Card/coin operated telephones are available in the main foyers. Phone cards cannot be purchased in the hospital, so these will need to be brought with you. Telephones can be brought to your bedside for incoming calls only.

Mail
Mail is delivered to all wards from Monday to Friday. Stamped outward mail may be given to your nurse or ward clerk for posting.
Your Name, General Ward, Bay of Islands Hospital, PO Box 290, KAWAKAWA

Emergency procedures
Our staff are fully trained in the safety procedures necessary to cope with emergency situations. In the event of an emergency please stay by your bed until a staff member tells you what to do.