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Taranaki Base Hospital emergency department (ED)

For critical or life-threatening emergencies go to the emergency department or dial 111.

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

Taranaki Base Hospital has a 24-hour emergency department. It is accessible from Gate 1, David street and is located next to the main hospital entrance.

There are dedicated carparks outside.

When to go to ED (internal link)

After hours and urgent medical centres

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.

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MediCross Urgent Care clinic is located at 8 Egmont St, New Plymouth

Opening hours

MediCross Urgent Care clinic is open every day from 8am to 8pm.

MediCross Urgent Care and GP clinic — Healthpoint (external link)

Pharmacy

Citycare pharmacy is located next to Medicross and is open every day with the same hours as MediCross.

Carefirst Urgent Care clinic is located at 99 Tukapa St, Westown, New Plymouth.

You do not need to be enrolled with Carefirst to access their urgent care clinic. 

Opening hours

Carefirst Urgent Care clinic is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm.

Contact Carefirst Urgent Care clinic

Phone: 06 753 9505

Carefirst Urgent Care clinic — Healthpoint (external link)

Contact information

Phone: 06 753 6139

Address:

23 David Street
Westown
New Plymouth 4310

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Call the call centre:

Note: If the phone is not answered, please leave a message and we will contact you within 7 working days.

To help us identify what information you are looking for, try to make your request as clear and specific as you can. If we do not understand your request we will get in contact to clarify the information you want to receive. Remember to include your name and contact address so that we can respond to you.

  • We will acknowledge your request once we have received it.
  • We will give you our decision as soon as possible and no later than 20 working days after we receive it.
  • If we need more time to make our decision, we will let you know and tell you when you can expect our decision.

For any official information act requests:

email: hnzOIA@health.govt.nz

You can complain to the Office of the Ombudsman if you are not happy with our decision to extend the time.

Ombudsman New Zealand (external link)

 

 

The communications team aims to respond to all media enquiries in an open and timely manner.

email: hnzmedia@tewhatuora.govt.nz.  

You can call the health integrity line at any time for free to report concerns about the health system, such as:

  • inappropriate use of public money
  • inappropriate use of technology
  • workplace bullying or harassment
  • theft
  • drug use.

Your call will not be traced or recorded, and it will remain anonymous. All calls are passed on to the appropriate team or agency to follow up.

Phone: 0800 424 888

Visiting hours

Visiting hours are generally 2pm to 8pm 7 days a week. 

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.

How to get to Taranaki Base Hospital

The main entrance to Taranaki Base Hospital is on David Street.

23 David Street
Westown
New Plymouth 4310.

Entrances to Taranaki Base Hospital

There are 4 entrances (gates) to Taranaki Base Hospital.

Gate 1, David Street for:

  • maternity
  • outpatients
  • emergency department
  • drop offs at the main entrance
  • disability parking.

Gate 2, Tukapa Street for:

  • child and adolescent community centre (CACC)
  • medical/oncology outpatients
  • cancer coordination centre
  • drug and alcohol
  • older people’s health
  • mental health services.

Gate 3, Lorna Street – this entry is for building work.

Gate 4 via Lyn Street for:

  • main hospital public car park
  • entrance for some construction vehicles and has a new speed limit of 5km per hour.

Getting here by bus

Route 3 stops at Taranaki Base Hospital outside the antenatal clinic and the bus shelter outside the main entrance.

The Connector hospital bus

The Hāwera-New Plymouth Connector operates Monday to Friday.

Information on the timetable, fare and route - Taranaki regional council (external link)

Coastal Community Transport service

This free service is for coastal Taranaki residents needing to get to essential appointments such as social service, medical or hospital appointments in New Plymouth, Stratford or Hāwera.

Eligibility criteria apply.

Phone: 0800 223 390

National Travel Assistance

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

National Travel Assistance (internal link)

Parking information

Information on parking at Taranaki Base Hospital.

  • Patient and visitor parking areas are marked with blue lines.
  • Patients, visitors and staff can all use parking areas marked with white lines.
  • Only staff can use the carpooling parks marked with green lines.
  • Specified parent parking is available next to the antenatal clinic and outside the child and adolescent community centre (CACC).
  • Access the main public car park via Gate 4 off Lyn Street.
  • Access from the main carpark to the hospital building via the public walkway marked in red. 

Mobility drop-off zone

There are mobility vehicle drop off zones for patients and visitors at:

  • the Tukapa Street entrance
  • the main hospital entrance.

Mobility parking

There are designated parking spaces for people with mobility parking passes. Look for the dark blue parks on our parking map available in key areas within the hospital.

Access from the main visitors’ car park is via a ramped walkway which has a gradual gradient, landings and handrails on both sides.

Taranaki Base Hospital parking map [PDF, 110 KB]

Facilities

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The front desk in the main hospital entrance is staffed between 8am to 4:30pm.

Outside of opening hours use the telephone on the wall and call “O’ for operator assistance.

The hospital pharmacy is located on the first floor in the main corridor. It provides inpatient service only.

Taranaki Base Hospital pharmacy — Healthpoint (external link)

 

 Free WiFi is available. Look for FreePrimoHotspot in your WiFi settings on your device.

Chaplains

The Chaplaincy service provides pastoral and spiritual care.

A chaplain is available 24-hours-a-day. Ask a staff member to contact us. 

Chaplains are also available on request for prayer, holy communion, anointing and baptism (in emergency).

Chapel

The Chapel of the Good Shepherd is located on level 2 on the same corridor as outpatients and maternity as you head away from the main wards.

It is open 24 hours a day and is available for you to visit, reflect, pray and relax in a quiet environment.

Services

An Ecumenical Service with communion is held in the hospital chapel every Sunday from 11 to 11:30am. 

Catholic Mass is held on the first Saturday of the month at 11am.

Whaiora offers temporary accommodation for whānau visiting patients in hospital. Priority is given to whānau from outside of the New Plymouth area.

The accommodation has a maximum bed capacity of 8 and a private kaumatua room for 2.

Contact information

Contact the Māori Health Unit

After hours

Contact the emergency department reception 

Breastfeeding and baby change areas are available in:

  • antenatal clinic
  • mental health outpatients
  • mothers’ quiet room and the postnatal lounge located in ward 15
  • parent zone, located in the main corridor near outpatients.

A cafe is located on Level 1.

Departments and services

Asthma education Maternity and newborn services Occupational therapy service District nurses Social workers Physiotherapy services Child and adolescent community centre Public health nurses Renal unit Surgical day ward Outpatients — surgical and medical Mental health and addiction services Dental health services Vision and hearing Laboratory services
Podiatry Speech and language therapy Diabetes clinic Audiology Gastroenterology General medical wards 4A and 4B Orthopaedics and surgical specialties ward 3B Surgery and urology ward 3A Older people's health and rehabilitation Children's ward 2B — Taranaki Base Hospital Radiology Cardiology Oncology Orthopaedic

Patient and visitor information

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The hospital and grounds are all smoke and vape free areas.

Wheelchairs

  • Wheelchairs are located at the main and maternity entrance. If you need a wheelchair and none are available, please ask a volunteer or receptionist.
  • Outside of office hours, please use the telephone adjacent to reception to phone the operator on “0” and an orderly will be arranged to assist you.

Volunteers

Meet and greet volunteers are available at the main hospital and maternity entrances.

Hours: Monday to Fridays 9am to 11:30am and 1pm to 3pm.

Lifts

Ask at the front entrance reception desk if you need help with using the lifts.

Accessible toilets

Accessible toilets are available 24/7 and others are open during business hours only. Accessible toilets are also located within The Acute Services Block wards for patients and ward visitors.

Locations of accessible toilets [PDF, 124 KB]

Acute services block

The medical, surgical, orthopaedic and rehabilitation wards have been built to improve the experience and independence of people with disabilities. 

  • All wards have some larger single rooms with ensuites and space for your mobility equipment.
  • Four bedrooms have an ensuite plus a separate toilet.
  • Ensuites are accessible with level access showers and handrails.
  • Status boards in patients’ rooms to identify patient’s needs.
  • Some rooms are equipped with ceiling hoists.
  • Handrails are in the corridors.
    Spacious whānau rooms are in each ward with tea/coffee making facilities.

Friends of the emergency department 

If you are in the Emergency Department volunteers can help you with non-medical needs from 10am to 10pm.

Dining 

Wheelchair accessible dining facilities are available in the cafes. If you need help please ask at the counter.

Companion dogs

Trained companion dogs are welcome in the hospital.

NZSL interpreters

Please let us know in advance if you require this service. Local sign language communicators can be arranged.

If a qualified Sign language interpreter is needed we can offer:

  • Video Remote Interpreting (VRI).  This service accesses a qualified sign language interpreter via Skype. Please let us know if you require this service and we can make a booking for you.
  • the services of a face-to-face sign language interpreter if this is required.

We can add your preferred choice of interpreter to your medical record so that staff are aware of your needs.

Hearing device

You can request the Amigo hearing device for your appointment. The Amigo consists of a small microphone worn by a health professional and a set of discreet headphones worn by you.

Call the service before your appointment to book this equipment.

Let our staff know if you need a language interpreter. They can assist with booking an interpreter for your appointment using the Ezispeak interpreting service.

Pou Hāpai service

Our service offers:

  • patient and whānau support
  • cultural support
  • short-term accommodation (whaiora) bookings
  • after-hours support.

Contact the service on:

The violence intervention programme helps people in hospital who are experiencing or have been exposed to family violence. 

Contact the family violence intervention coordinator on:

Contact the child protection coordinator on:

Taranaki health services feedback

How was the care you or your whānau received? We welcome feedback, compliments or complaints to help us get things right.

  • Phone: 06 753 6139
  • Postal address: Feedback Team, Clinical Governance Support Unit, Health NZ Taranaki, PO Box 2016, New Plymouth.
  • Verbally: Verbal complaints can be recorded by any staff member and passed on to the feedback team.

Taranaki health services feedback form (internal link)

Your stay in hospital

Preparing for a hospital stay

What your hospital appointment letter or email should tell you, what to know before your stay and what to bring, what to do when you arrive, and information if you are having surgery.
Your stay in hospital

The staff and services in hospital are there to help you and your whānau during your stay. The more you know about what to expect, the more you can relax and focus on your health and recovery.
Leaving hospital

Leaving hospital (hospital discharge) will be discussed with you during your hospital stay. It is important for your recovery that your discharge happens quickly when you no longer need hospital care.
Anaesthesia for your surgery

Anaesthetics are medicines that can numb a part of your body so you do not feel pain. They can also make you 'go to sleep' and be unaware of your surgery or procedure. The choice of anaesthetic depends on the type of surgery and your overall health.