Visiting Hours, Phone Calls and Cell Phones

8 August 2011

“Patients need peace and quiet so they can rest and recover,” says Taranaki DHB Director of Nursing Kerry-Ann Adlam. “When visiting the various clinical areas it is obvious that the large number of visitors and crowding creates a sense of commotion, which is not conducive to a good healing environment.”

Because of this, a campaign is underway with increased signage, asking visitors and families to adhere to the visiting hours at Taranaki Base and Hawera Hospital.

“We are not trying to minimise the importance family and friends have in the recovery process, but are instead attempting to instil an increased sense of respect by visitors for the work carried out within our hospitals, and the need for more peace and quiet that each patient requires,” said Mrs Adlam.

The wards won’t be opened until the start of visiting hours so that nurses and other clinicians can do their patient care and patients are able to rest.  We are also asking families to visit in smaller numbers to reduce the crowding etc that occurs. We have reintroduced bells for the end of visiting to help remind visitors to leave.

As a modern day suggestion we ask that patients and families keep in touch by cell phone. “In the past cell phones haven’t been able to be used in the clinical areas, but with changing technology this is now possible, we just ask that they are kept two metres away from machinery connected to patients,” said Mrs Adlam.

On the same lines nurses’ time is being taken away from their core duties by answering general patient enquiry calls from friends and family so from now any questions around patients conditions will be managed by our patient enquiry system, rather than getting put through to the clinical wards. “Again calls to patients on their cell phone is another option,” she said.

“None of these things are being done to keep family and support people away from patients, there will always be exceptions, e.g. people who need travel some distance to visit families. We ask that you talk to nursing staff about this so that we can accommodate as best we can with the patient recovery in mind.”

Click here to view the new hospital visiting hours

For more information please call
Sue Carrington
Media Adviser
Ph 021 367 789

Last updated: Wednesday, October 30, 2013