Whanganui Hospital
Whanganui Hospital has an emergency department and after hours, inpatient and outpatient services, maternity unit and acute mental health services. Whanganui Hospital is a smokefree site.
On this page
- Whanganui Hospital emergency department (ED)
- After hours and urgent medical centres (A&E)
- Contact information
- Visiting hours
- How to get to the hospital
- By health shuttle
- Parking information
- Facilities
- Patient and visitor information
- What to bring to hospital
- Maps
- Services at Whanganui Hospital
- Feedback
After hours and urgent medical centres (A&E)
If you cannot wait for your doctor, or you do not have one, go to an urgent care clinic for bad cuts, sprains or breaks, minor head injury, or feeling really sick. You do not need an appointment but might have to wait.
Whanganui Accident and Medical regional health clinic is located next door to the Whanganui Hospital emergency department.
Contact information
General or patient enquiries
- Phone: 06 348 1234
Patient travel and allowances
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.
- Phone: 06 348 1245
General health record queries
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.
- Phone: 06 348 1277
- Email: clinicalrecordsrequest@wdhb.org.nz
Mental health record queries
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.
- Phone: 06 348 3474
- Email: mentalhealth.privacyrequests@wdhb.org.nz
Postal address
- Te Whatu Ora Whanganui
- Private Bag 3003
- Whanganui 4540
Opening hours and contact information for specific wards and services can be found on Healthpoint.
Visiting hours
Whanganui Hospital inpatient visiting hours are 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week.
How to get to the hospital
Whanganui Hospital is located at:
100 Heads Road
Gonville
Whanganui 4501
By bus
There are bus services that stop at Whanganui Hospital.
Bus timetables and fares — Horizons Regional Council (external link)
By health shuttle
St John's Waka Ora health shuttle is available to take patients to and from some rural areas to appointments at Whanganui Hospital.
These shuttles are run by volunteers and are subject to changing schedules.
They are available in the following areas:
- Marton and surrounds.
- Waimarino and surrounds, including Ohakune and Raetihi.
Find out about shuttle times in your area on the St John website, or by calling them on on 0800 925 2672
Parking information
Access to car parks for the main and emergency entrances is via Gate 1 on Heads Road.
Access to car parks for Building C Te Āwhina, Building E Te Whare Kākāriki, Building F Lambie and Building G Te Kōpae is through Gate 2 on Heads Road.
Parking is free at Whanganui Hospital.
Mobility drop-off zone
There are mobility vehicle drop-off zones for patients and visitors at:
- the main entrance to the hospital
- the entrance to the emergency department and Whanganui Accident and Medical (WAM).
There is also drop off space outside buildings accessed through Gate 2.
Mobility parking
Whanganui Hospital has 23 designated parking spaces for people with a mobility parking permit. These car parks are available in key areas within the hospital public parking areas. You will need to display your permit.
Mobility parking spaces:
- 11 in the car park next to the main entrance.
- 2 beside the bus stop.
- 3 at the emergency entrance near the ambulance bay.
- 1 in the car park at Building C, Te Āwhina.
- 2 in front of the doors of Building E, Te Whare Kākāriki.
- 2 opposite the doors of Building F, Lambie.
- 2 near the doors of Building G, Te Kōpae.
Facilities
Pharmacy
The pharmacy is located on the first floor.
MedLab laboratory services
MedLab tests samples from patients referred by GPs, specialists, midwives and other medical referrers. They are open 7:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Hospital cafés
Espresso Plus Café is located in the foyer of the main entrance of the hospital. It is open 7:30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Top Café is located next to the Lambie Building. It is open 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday.
ATM
There is an ATM at the main entrance.
Wi-Fi
Patients and visitors have access to free Wi-Fi while in the hospital grounds.
The Wi-Fi network is ‘WDHB_FreeWiFi_by_InspireNet’.
Patient and visitor information
Disability information
Phone us on 06 348 1234 before your visit if you are likely to require extra support during a hospital visit. This is so we can make sure you have what you need.
Wheelchairs
Wheelchairs are located inside the foyer of the main entrance. If you need a wheelchair and none are available, ask a volunteer or at any reception desk and they will find one for you.
Interpreter services
Spoken language and New Zealand Sign Language interpreting services are available to help with any communication needs.
What to bring to hospital
- Your admission letter from the hospital.
- Any forms the hospital sent you to complete for admission.
- Any letters from your doctor.
- X-rays, scans or copies of any recent tests.
- Current medication — pills, medicines, inhalers and including any 'natural' remedies you may use.
- Mobility aids — crutches, walking sticks, walking frames.
- Medicare card, Pensioner or Veterans' Affairs card.
- Details of workers' compensation or third party claims.
- Name and contact number for next of kin or emergency contact.
- Eye glasses, hearing aid (labelled if possible).
Overnight patients
- A set of comfortable clothes (that are easy to put on) for each day, including underwear, nightclothes and dressing gown.
- Non-slip slippers or footwear.
- Toiletries — toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, shampoo, soap.
- Home comforts & extras.
- A book or magazine.
- Small amount of money for a taxi fare home.
- Mobile phone.
- Special toy, dummy or bottle for children.
Do not bring
- Large amounts of money or several credit cards.
- Jewellery or other valuables.
- Alcohol, unprescribed drugs or any other illegal substances.
- Electrical items.
Services at Whanganui Hospital
Te Hau Ranga Ora Māori Health Service is available to all whānau during the day, on call after hours and in the weekend.
Call the hospital's information desk on 06 348 1234 and ask to speak with a haumoana navigator.
Haumoana navigators:
- are part of the Whanganui Hospital team
- support patients and whānau during their stay in hospital
- assist whānau-centred care by working alongside staff to support and engage with whānau
- advocate for patients and their whānau
- facilitate links back to services in the community
- are available to patients and whānau on all wards.
Accommodation
Te Hau Ranga Māori Health Service operate 3 whare governed by tikanga Māori.
To book accommodation call 06 348 1234 and ask to speak with the on call Haumoana Navigator.
Mauri Ora whānau accommodation
A whare for emergency and temporary accommodation for out-of-town whānau.
Mauri Ora information brochure [PDF, 1.1 MB]
Te Whakatau Mate
A whare to support families who experience the sudden loss of a whānau member.
Te Piringa Whānau
A whare that supports whānau-centred care through education, wānanga and hui.
Whanganui's 3 birthing rooms each have their own private birthing pool and ensuite, with the 11 inpatient bed units also providing ensuite facilities.
The unit is located close to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) for newborn babies who need specialist care.
Interactive walk-through of the maternity ward — YourTour360 (external link)
Whanganui provides a range of mental health and addiction services in the community, rural areas and at Whanganui Hospital.
Services include:
- inpatient acute mental health service
- extended term regional medium secure forensic service
- Maternal Infant Child Adolescent Mental Health and Addiction Services (MICAMHAS)
- community mental health service
- mental health assessment and home treatment service
- Whanganui Community Living Trust
- alcohol and other drug service (including an opioid treatment service)
- Kaupapa Māori mental health services
- various regional services and collaborations.
Whanganui has a team of highly qualified clinical staff who provide specialist assessments for people aged 65 years and over.
If you feel you need help, visit your healthcare provider and discuss your concerns first.
Referrals
To request a referral for an assessment contact:
Community Assessment and Rehab Team
Te Whatu Ora Whanganui
Ground Floor, Lambie Building
100 Heads Road
Whanganui 4501
Phone: 06 348 3309
Email: referral.centre@wdhb.org.nz
You can do this yourself, or you can nominate someone else to do this on your behalf. Other people who can make a referral for you include:
- a family or whānau member
- a friend
- your healthcare provider
- other suitable healthcare professionals, support groups and organisations.
InterRAI assessment
If your referral is accepted, you will need to complete an interRAI assessment. Eligibility of an older person for long-term, funded support services will depend on the outcomes of their interRAI assessment.
InterRAI New Zealand (external link)
Outcomes include home-based support services and aged residential care.
Home-based support services can include:
- household management
- personal care
- respite care
- carer relief, residential respite, day activity, other carer support.
Residential care is generally only considered after all other options have been explored, and if all the support options allowing a person to remain living at home are not successful.
Whanganui Hospital provides a range of outpatient and inpatient oral health services on referral from a medical or dental practitioner.
A limited range of dental services are funded for some adults. You may still need to pay some of the treatment cost.
Those eligible include:
- people with disabilities or medical conditions such as mouth cancer who may be referred to the hospital dental unit for their dental treatment by their usual dental practitioner or GP.
- people who are referred for oral and maxillofacial (surgery of the face and jaw) services
- those who need hospital dental unit level care for their dental needs
- children who require dental treatment under general anaesthesia.
Find a dental provider — Healthpoint (external link)
Therapy services work within the inpatient, outpatient and community settings. Services include child development, dietitics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work and speech language.
Child development
Child development services include:
- neuro-development therapy
- speech language therapy
- psychology
- occupational therapy
- physiotherapy
- autism spectrum therapy.
Dietics
Dietics services include:
- malnutrition
- oncology
- IBD/IBS and low FODMAP diet
- diabetes across the lifespan
- enteral nutrition
- disordered eating
- paediatrics
- weight management and other long term chronic health conditions e.g. high cholesterol and high blood pressure
- gut and intestinal health.
Occupational therapy
Whanganui Hospital provides occupational therapy services to adult inpatients with:
- arthritis
- stroke
- multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease
- patients who have recently had orthopaedic or other surgical procedures.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy services include:
- primary care following injury
- hand therapy services
- community services
- specialist groups including cardiac rehabilitation and Parkinson's
- women’s health
- lymphoedema care
- antenatal therapy and education
- hydrotherapy
- cardio-respiratory care
- persistent pain management.
Social work
Social work services include:
- psycho-social assessment and intervention
- risk assessment and safety planning
- response to trauma or crisis, emotional support and coping strategies
- interventions to protect vulnerable people
- complex problem solving
- support during long-term illness and repeat admissions
- socio-legal issues and ethical decision making
- advocacy in relation to social inequity or stigma
- pregnancy counselling, all options explored
- grief and loss intervention and support
- health promotion, preventative planning and early intervention
- providing information on/referral to community agencies and health providers
- work as part of the multi-disciplinary team supporting discharge planning.
Speech language
Speech language therapy includes the diagnosis, treatment, and management of:
- speech
- language
- swallowing problems.
Whanganui's radiology department is equipped with:
- x-ray room in the main department and one in the emergency department
- fluroscopy
- Computed Tomography (CT)
- general ultrasound rooms (note: muscular skeletal ultrasound, such as shoulders, elbows and knees, cannot be performed at Whanganui)
- echocardiography ultrasound room
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Image Intensifier (II) for use in theatre
- mobile x-ray machines for critically ill patients.