On this page
- Timaru Hospital emergency department (ED)
- After hours and urgent medical centres (A&E)
- Hospital contact information
- How to get to the hospital
- By health shuttle
- Visiting hours
- Parking information
- Facilities
- Departments and services
- Hospital map — Timaru Hospital
- Patient and visitor information
- Feedback
- Your stay in hospital
After hours and urgent medical centres (A&E)
If you cannot wait to see your usual doctor, nurse or healthcare provider, or you do not have one, go to an after hours or urgent care 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.
Find urgent care on Healthpoint
After hours general practice and medical care in South Canterbury
- Weekdays 5pm to 8pm — phone 03 684 8209
- Weekends and public holidays — phone 03 684 8209.
Face-to-face medical care
The Timaru Medical Centre after hours service is available for in-person medical care on weekends and public holidays (9am to 11:45am and 4pm to 5:45pm).
Timaru Medical Centre
45 Heaton Street
Timaru
Phone 03 684 8209.
Bring your Community Services Card and any current medication with you.
Timaru After Hours Medical Services — Healthpoint (external link)
General practices and urgent medical care in Timaru — Healthpoint (external link)
Call your general practice — your call will be redirected to the after hours service covering your general practice at that time.
General practices and urgent medical care in South Canterbury — Healthpoint (external link)
Call High Country Health on 03 435 0777 — the answerphone message has up-to-date instructions for after hours care.
General practices and urgent medical care in Twizel — Healthpoint (external link)
Call Fairlie Medical Centre on 03 685 8211 — the answerphone message has up-to-date instructions for after hours care.
General practices and urgent medical care in Fairlie — Healthpoint (external link)
Call your general practice — your call will be redirected to the after hours service covering your general practice at that time.
General practices and urgent medical care in Waimate — Healthpoint (external link)
Virtual doctor services often have appointments available on the same day. You do not need to be enrolled to use some of them. They are a good option if your usual doctor or nurse cannot fit you in.
These appointments usually take place through a video app or a phone call. There will be a cost.
Virtual doctor services (internal link)
Hospital contact information
Physical address:
Queen Street
Parkside
Timaru 7910
Mailing address:
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora South Canterbury
Private Bag 911
Timaru 7940
Phone: 03 687 2100
You and your whānau (family) may be eligible for or free or subsidised health services in South Canterbury.
Complete the following form or phone 03 687 2307 to find out what you are entitled to receive.
Enrol for Health Services form — Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora South Canterbury [PDF, 156 KB]
Aotearoa New Zealand has a health system that provides most services for free (or subsidised) to eligible people.
If you do not qualify for free (government-paid) services, you will need to pay for your healthcare.
Guide to eligibility for public health services — Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (external link)
If you are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, you may be asked to provide evidence of this. To make sure we have the correct information, we recommend you bring your:
- passport, including permits and visas or
- birth certificate (if born in New Zealand or Australia) or
- confirmation of citizenship or
- confirmation of permanent New Zealand residency or other residency status
- photograph-bearing identification (if you have no passport).
An interpreter service is available if you do not speak English — ask the nurse in charge of your care if this can be arranged.
To access your patient information, complete a release of personal health information request.
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has a broad privacy statement to inform you of how we handle personal and health information while you are in our care.
Privacy statement — Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (internal link)
How to get to the hospital
By health shuttle
The Hato Hone St John Health Shuttle is a community service that transports people to and from medical and health-related appointments.
The service is run by volunteers. A donation is greatly appreciated to help cover costs.
The health shuttle operates a service:
- from Timaru to Christchurch Hospital (Aoraki Health Shuttle).
To make a booking for Hato Hone St John Health Shuttles (bookings close at 3pm on the day before travel):
- freephone: 0800 103 046.
Waka Ora Health Shuttles — Hato Hone St John (external link)
National Travel Assistance
The National Travel Assistance Scheme helps people who need to travel long distances or travel frequently for health appointments.
Visiting hours
Timaru Hospital visiting hours are 2pm to 8pm, 7 days a week. Each patient is permitted 2 visitors at a time.
In rooms with more than 1 bed, the number of allowed visitors may be limited due to the available space. Visiting restrictions may also apply if there is increased risk of illness or outbreaks.
In most wards, the morning is reserved for treatments and doctors' rounds, and 12pm to 2pm is quiet rest time for all patients so visitors are not recommended.
There may be reasons you would like to visit outside of these hours. Special arrangements can be made with the charge nurse if you are visiting children, seriously ill or terminally ill patients.
Talk to the ward staff if you have questions about your visit.
Parking information
Parking up to 120 minutes is available along Queen Street and in the car park near the main hospital entrance — there are 6 disability parking spaces.
There are also 2 car parking areas off Edward Street. Parking on High Street has no time limit.
Car parks are unsupervised. Vehicles are left at the owner’s risk.
Facilities
There is a cafe at the main entrance of Timaru Hospital. It is open weekdays 7:30am to 6pm and weekends 8am to 4pm. The cafe is closed on public holidays.
You will find vending machines in the hospital main entrance foyer. Drinks facilities are available in waiting areas throughout the hospital.
Inward mail is delivered twice daily on weekdays. Flowers and parcels are delivered as they arrive.
Put outward mail in stamped envelopes and give it to your nurse or put it the post box outside the hospital main entrance.
There is a television in the patient lounge of each ward. You may bring your own radio, headphones and television by prior arrangement.
Any personal electrical items, for example, TV, radio, hairdryer or shaver, must be checked by staff before they can be used.
Hospital FM 88.1 is on air 24 hours, 7 days, with local broadcasts on evenings and weekends. Outside of these times, the radio station carries 'The Sound' programming. Requests can be made from within the hospital — phone 03 687 2299.
The whānau (family) room is at the rear of the hospital on level 2, just past the chapel and opposite the orderlies office. Follow the signs to the whānau room from level 1. Drinks facilities are available in waiting areas throughout the hospital.
Free wifi for patients and visitors is available — look for 'Hospital free wifi' in the wifi settings on your device.
A hospital chaplain is on call to offer support, counsel or sacramental ministry. Your personal beliefs, culture and privacy are always respected. The chaplain, or your own religious or spiritual leader, can be contacted at any time through your ward staff.
You will find the hospital chapel between the Clinical Services Block and the Gardens Block. It is open 24 hours for anyone to use.
Departments and services
Hospital map — Timaru Hospital
Patient and visitor information
Our hospital is a Smokefree environment and workplace. This means smoking is not allowed in any building or surrounding grounds.
Help, advice and nicotine replacement therapy is available if you want to stop smoking — just ask ward staff.
Stop smoking services — South Canterbury (internal link)
A free independent advocacy service is available to ensure your rights as a patient are respected and to help you to resolve any complaints.
- Phone: 03 687 2291
- Freephone (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm): 0800 555 050
- Email: advocacy@advocacy.org.nz
- Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service (external link)
Understand your rights and know how to make a complaint.
While you are in hospital you may find it useful to have a support person with you. Our different departments ask you to follow these rules.
Jean Todd maternity unit
You may have a support person with you at any time during your inpatient stay — the person is known as a boarder and they:
- must remain in the room
- are asked to wear a medical mask
- should limit movement through the facility
- should comply with our screening process.
Siblings are permitted within visiting hours.
Maternity unit birthing suite
You may have 1 birthing partner and 1 support person with you in the birthing suite.
Your partners (or nominated support person) is welcome, as a boarder, to support you in the entire induction process. As a boarder, they must follow maternity unit rules (see above).
Your partner is considered part of the mother/pēpi unit and is entitled, as parent of the child, to be present once birthed.
All outpatient appointments (including mental health, radiology and Medlab)
You may have 1 support person.
Children who accompany a parent, caregiver or sibling to an outpatient appointment are permitted if there is no alternative childcare available.
Emergency department (ED)
You may have 2 support persons only when you present to ED, if they are needed.
Oncology medical unit, day patient services, pre-admission clinic and endoscopy unit
You may have 1 support person each time you attend for your care, provided we can maintain physical distancing.
Neonatal unit
Immediate whānau (family) only are allowed.
What you and your support person can expect
It helps to know what is expected of patients and what they can expect of us at the hospital. The key services for patient advocacy are the:
- Code of Rights (you can find leaflets in patient areas)
- Advocacy Service.
The Code and your rights: Ōu Mōtika — Health & Disability Commissioner (external link)
The Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service (Advocacy Service) (external link)
Our policy of care posters are displayed throughout the hospital.
When you are a patient in our hospital we ask you to:
- be open and honest about your health, so we can work together to plan your care
- not smoke, vape, drink alcohol or use illicit drugs
- always wear their identification bracelet unless otherwise instructed by staff
- not leave the ward without checking with a nurse — we need to know where you are at all times
- label all clothing and not bring any valuables to hospital — we cannot be responsible for your possessions
- follow staff instructions in the event of an emergency
- not use cell phones within 1 metre of any medical equipment or anywhere in ICU/CCU
- prepare for medical procedures according to the instructions you are given — if in doubt call the department or ask a staff member
- respect the rights of other patients and staff
- respect hospital property and return loaned items
- tell us if you feel your rights are not being met or if you are unsure about any aspect of your care
- tell us if you have any spiritual or cultural needs that are not being met.
We support your right as a patient to be fully informed about your health situation and care. Ask for more information or question anything you do not understand.
We encourage the support of close whānau or a friend. We are happy to discuss how support people can be involved in your care.
If your tamariki (child) is a patient and you want to stay with them, discuss this with ward staff.
The hospital kaumatua liaison officer can be contacted by phone — call 03 687 2385.
It is important to practice good hygiene while in hospital. It helps everyone to stay safe from common infections.
Visitors should stay away if, in the last 48 hours, they have had:
- diarrhoea
- vomiting
- flu symptoms.
Patients can borrow a phone on the ward to speak to anyone who is unwell and cannot visit.
If you are a visitor, wash your hands or use hand gel at the start of every visit and as you leave the bedside.
If an infection is suspected or identified, a patient may be cared for in isolation. Special precautions are needed when visiting an isolated patient — talk to staff if you have any questions.
Kōrero mai — Talk to Me is a service you can use in the hospital if you are concerned about a change:
- in your condition
- in the condition of your loved one
- in the condition of the person you are supporting.
- Concerned? You can press the call bell to talk to a nurse or to ask for the nurse in charge.
- Very concerned? You can ask the nurse or nurse in charge to request an urgent doctor review.
- Still very concerned? Call 03 264 6625 and ask for a review.
We aim to discharge you by 11am on the day you leave Timaru Hospital. Having a support person can make this easier for you, by making the necessary travel or pick-up arrangements.
Leaving hospital (internal link)