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Christchurch Hospital emergency department

For critical or life-threatening emergencies go to the emergency department at Christchurch Hospital or dial 111

If you are not sure how serious the problem is, call Healthline at any time for advice on 0800 611 116

Christchurch Hospital has a 24-hour emergency department. The emergency department is clearly signposted on hospital entrance signs. It has a separate external entrance at the front of the hospital's Waipapa building. There is a drop-off area directly outside the entrance for patients. There is limited premium metered car parking in front of the emergency department.

If you need to enquire about a patient in ED, call 03 364 0600

When to go to ED (external link)

Your child might be referred to children's emergency care.

 

Children's emergency care

After hours and urgent medical centres (A&E)

If your health emergency is not life threatening, but you cannot wait for an appointment with your usual doctor or healthcare provider, go to an after hours or urgent medical centre. They can help you with things like bad cuts, sprains or breaks, minor head injuries, or if you are feeling really sick. You do not need an appointment but might have to wait.

There are pharmacies with extended hours next to each Christchurch after hours clinic.

Christchurch pharmacies — Healthpoint (external link)

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401 Madras Street
Christchurch

Entrance on the left just before Bealey Avenue

Phone: 03 365 7777

Open 8am to 8pm every day.

4 Yaldhurst Road
Church Corner
Upper Riccarton
Christchurch

Phone: 03 343 3661

Contact information

For general enquiries:

To talk to someone about an appointment call 03 364 0731

Postal address:

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Christchurch Hospital
Private Bag 4710
Christchurch 8140

Visiting hours

Wards at Christchurch Hospital

Parents and caregivers can visit any time or day.

Visiting hours for other visitors are 8am to 8pm, every day.

Neonatal unit (NICU) at Christchurch Women’s Hospital

Parents and caregivers can visit any time or day.

Visiting hours for other visitors are 8am to 3pm, every day.

Children’s high care in ICU at Christchurch Hospital Waipapa

Parents and caregivers can visit any time or day.

Visiting hours for other visitors are 8am to 8pm, every day.

How to get to Matatiki child and youth health

Reception for Matatiki is on the ground floor of Waipapa building at Christchurch Hospital.

Christchurch Hospital
Riccarton Avenue
Christchurch 
8140

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The hospital shuttle service runs from the Deans Avenue car park, stopping at:

  • Waipapa building emergency department entrance
  • Christchurch Outpatients building
  • the main entrance of Christchurch Hospital.

The shuttle runs every 15 minutes, between the hours of:

  • Monday to Friday: 7:15am to 8:30pm (drivers have a mandatory 30 minute lunch break around 1pm)
  • Saturday and Sunday: 11am to 8pm (drivers have a mandatory break from 2:30pm to 3:15pm).

How to use the shuttle

The shuttle service will pick you up and drop you off at the covered waiting area in the middle of the carpark. You may need to show the driver your parking ticket.

If you are bringing young children on the shuttle, you will need to bring their car seats. The shuttle can accommodate prams.

The shuttle is not suitable for wheelchairs — see our mobility parking information below.

If you are in Canterbury but live far away from the hospital, the Ministry of Health may pay your travel expenses to and from Christchurch. There may also be funding for accommodation.

Discuss this with the nurse in charge or social worker before you leave hospital.

National Travel Assistance helps people who need to travel long distances or travel frequently for health appointments.

National Travel Assistance (external link)

St John volunteers run 3 shuttles in rural Canterbury, and a local shuttle service to help people get to their medical appointments in Christchurch.

The service is free but donations are accepted to help with running costs.

Christchurch health shuttle

This shuttle is a short-distance service that runs multiple daily trips around the city. It operates Monday to Friday.

You need to book before 3pm, the day before your appointment.

Phone: 0800 103 046

Timaru to Christchurch

This service runs from Timaru to Christchurch, Monday to Friday. It is for people with medical appointments in Christchurch between 11am and 2pm.

The shuttle leaves from Timaru at 7:30am and departs Christchurch at 3pm (depending on numbers of passengers). It stops at:

  • Timaru
  • Temuka
  • Geraldine
  • Christchurch.

You need to book before 3pm, the day before your appointment.

Phone: 0800 103 046

Ashburton and Rakaia to Christchurch

This service operates Monday to Friday. It leaves Ashburton at 9am, Rakaia at 9.20am. The shuttle leaves Christchurch around 3pm.

Pick up and drop off points:

  • Ashburton Cancer Society, McKenzie Centre, corner Mona Square and Kermode Street
  • Rakaia Four Square, 41 Elizabeth Ave.

You need to book before 3pm, the day before your appointment.

Phone: 0800 103 046

North Canterbury to Christchurch

The St John North Canterbury health shuttle operates Monday to Friday for people with medical appointments starting after 10am and finishing before 3pm.

The St John shuttle stops at:

  • Amberley
  • Leithfield
  • Pegasus Town
  • Woodend
  • Rangiora
  • Kaiapoi

You need to book before 3pm, the day before your appointment.

Phone: 0800 103 046

Parking information

If you are staying in hospital for several days, you may be eligible for a cheaper parking rate. Speak to the nurse in charge of your care about parking options.

Bike parking

There is bike parking outside main hospital entrances for staff and public use.

Bike parking is at the owner’s risk. We recommend locking your bike securely to a bike rack with a D-lock, not a thin loop of wire or combination lock.

Bike parking Christchurch HospitalPNG425 KB

Mobility car parking

If you have a mobility parking permit you can park in one of the designated mobility car parking spaces.

There are:

  • 17 mobility parking spaces outside the front of Christchurch Hospital
  • 5 directly outside the rear entrance of Christchurch Outpatients on Antigua Street
  • 3 near the main Christchurch Outpatients entrance on Oxford Terrace

9 mobility parking spaces are available near the Boatshed Café on the corner of Cambridge Terrace and Rolleston Avenue — this is very close to Christchurch Outpatients and the emergency department.

Mobility parks around Christchurch Hospital campusPDF1.6 MB

Child health mobility parks for neuro development patients

There are 3 designated parks for neuro development patients. The parks are protected by barrier arms and a security guard. To access these parks, drive over the Rolleston bridge from Rolleston Avenue or Cambridge Terrace and present your outpatient clinic letter to the security guard.

Onsite car parking

There is limited premium metered car parking in front of the emergency department outside the Waipapa building. This is the only public car parking available onsite. We encourage using this only for emergencies and patient drop-off and pick-up.

The first 30 minutes of parking is free (your license plate number must be entered into the parking meter to get 30 minutes free). After 30 minutes the charges will be:

  • 30 to 60 minutes: $7.50
  • after 60 minutes you will pay $5 per half hour or part half hour($80 maximum charge for a 24-hour period).

Nearby car parking

There is a free shuttle service to the hospital from the Deans Avenue car park. This carpark is at 25 Deans Avenue, near the Moorhouse Avenue end of Deans Avenue. See more information on the shuttle service above.

Tū Waka-Waipapa is a 463-space car park, located at the corner of St Asaph Street and Hagley Avenue, a 4 to 5 minute walk from Christchurch Hospital.

Wilson Parking (external link)

There is limited car parking near Christchurch Hospital including on-street metered parking and paid parking lots in surrounding streets. Christchurch City Council has a map showing parking options near the hospital.

Parking map — Christchurch City Council (external link)

 

Facilities at Matatiki child and youth health

Food and drink

There are 5 cafes and several vending machines at Christchurch hospital.

Parkside pharmacy

There is a pharmacy in the main hospital foyer.

Hospital volunteers gift shop

The volunteers gift shop has post services and a range of gifts, cards, confectionery and snacks. 

Matatiki child and youth health departments and services

CAFLink mental health service Child Development Service Child haematology and oncology centre Child Integrated Care team Children's emergency care Children's high care intensive care unit Children's outreach nursing service
Children's outpatients department Children's medical ward A7 Children's surgical ward B7 Ear, nose and throat services Eye outpatient clinic LinKIDS Matatiki neonatal service

Christchurch Hospital map

Christchurch Hospital mapPDF135 KB

Patient and visitor information

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We provide all food and drink for patients in the hospital. We circulate a menu each morning for you and your child to choose what they will be served for lunch, dinner and breakfast. You can leave the completed form on a bedside table or give it to a nurse.

Let us know about:

  • any allergies or special dietary requirements, such as a special baby formula
  • alternative nutrition you child may be fed, such as tube feeding or a supplemented drink.

We provide whānau accommodation for eligible people who are supporting a family member in hospital.

There are 3 apartments a short walk (4 to 8 minutes) from Christchurch Hospital.

There is a cost, but some people may be eligible for funding for this. Speak to your social worker or Māori health worker for more information about this accommodation.

Hauora Māori services in Canterbury give patients and whānau culturally appropriate advice and support.

Specially trained staff give āwhina and tautoko with cultural issues and education on tikanga. The service can also help you find organisations and resources to support your recovery.

Services at Christchurch Hospital include:

Hauora Māori – Māori Health Services at Christchurch Hospital

Diabetes and Cardio Respiratory Integrated Specialist Services (CRISS) Māori health workers

Being in hospital can be a worrying time. If you or your whānau have any questions or concerns, start by talking to the nurse in charge.

Concerns about your care (internal link)

If you are concerned your child is getting sicker, use the Kōrero mai (talk to me) process.

Kōrero mai escalation of care process (internal link)

The patient advocate service is independent of Health New Zeland | Te Whatu Ora. It is a free service and provides:

  • information on health and disability consumer rights
  • assistance to answer questions and resolve difficulties
  • help if you want to make a complaint.

Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service (external link)

Christchurch office

We have a free interpreter service if you do not speak English as your first language or have hearing loss and use NZ Sign Language.

You can ask your nurse or doctor to arrange an interpreter.

The interpreter service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The services we provide are:

  • face to face interpreting
  • telephone interpreting
  • appointment confirmations.

Interpreters are available in:

  • Amharic (Ethiopian)
  • Arabic
  • Bahasa (Indonesian)
  • Bengali
  • Bhutanese (Nepal)
  • Cambodian (Khmer)
  • Cantonese
  • Chinese
  • Croatian
  • Czech
  • Dari
  • Dutch
  • Ethiopian
  • Farsi
  • Fijian Indian
  • Filipino (Philippines)
  • French
  • German
  • Greek
  • Gujarati
  • Hebrew
  • Hindi
  • Hungarian
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Kurdish
  • Malay
  • Mandarin
  • Marathi
  • Nepali
  • Niuean
  • NZ Sign Language
  • Pashto
  • Persian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Samoan
  • Serbian
  • Somali
  • Spanish
  • Swedish
  • Taiwanese
  • Tamil
  • Tigrinya
  • Thai
  • Toishan (Taishanese)
  • Tongan
  • Ukrainian
  • Urdu
  • Vietnamese

The hospital chaplains have been theologically and clinically trained and licensed to work in a hospital.

The chaplains are available to support people of all religions and cultures. They can also contact your own religious or spiritual advisor and ask them to visit.

Your nurse, social worker, ward clerk or doctor can arrange for a chaplain to visit you, or you can ask to speak with a chaplain when you see them in the ward.

To contact our chaplains:

After hours and weekends, you can ask to be put through to the on-call chaplain.

You should not come to our facilities as a visitor or support person if you are unwell. We encourage you to:

  • wear a surgical or medical mask when visiting
  • clean your hands with the alcohol-based hand gel we provide.

Patients can have more than one visitor except in some situations, for example rooms with more than one patient where it can cause overcrowding.

Some wards and areas of the hospital cannot have flowers in them. If you are thinking of purchasing flowers at Christchurch Hospital, ask the volunteers working in the gift shop first.

Hospital gift shops also sell flower vouchers, for flowers to be delivered when the patient goes home, and other gifts are also available instead of flowers.

Flowers and potted plants are not allowed in these chidren's wards and units:

  • Children’s haematology and oncology
  • Children's high care

Our policy does not allow pets or other animals into our hospital, unless they are service animals.

There may be exceptions in some rehabilitation areas and special circumstances if agreed with ward staff before the visit.

If you have agreement from staff to bring an animal in, you are responsible for the animal at all times. Dogs must be on a lead for the whole visit. Animals cannot come at meal times and are not allowed in public cafeterias and cafes.

Crutches, walking frames and other equipment can be returned to Christchurch Hospital. There is a trolley in the lower ground car park where you can leave equipment. To find it:

  • come in the main campus entrance off Riccarton Avenue
  • drive past the Emergency Department entrance (on your left) and down the ramp in the lower ground car park
  • drive around the car park back towards the exit
  • the trolley is on the left near the double doors.

Hospital volunteers help patients, visitors, and staff by:

  • helping you find your way around the hospital
  • running the Christchurch Hospital gift shop
  • giving company to patients
  • helping with play therapy and pet therapy
  • delivering packages
  • helping with other tasks like calling taxis and reading
  • fundraising.

To contact Christchurch Hospital volunteers:

Feedback on child and youth health

How was the care you or your whānau received at our healthcare providers in Canterbury? We welcome feedback, compliments or complaints to help us get things right.

Phone: 03 364 0843

Canterbury feedback form

If you have a problem you want sorted straight away, talk with the staff caring for you or ask to speak with a manager in that area.