Our laboratory service is the largest and best equipped medical laboratory in the South Island. It covers the biggest area of any laboratory in NZ, but in addition, it operates smaller laboratories at Burwood and Ashburton Hospitals. Canterbury Health Laboratories lead the way in the provision of specialist testing for DHB’s in NZ and for community laboratories, whilst also undertaking research and development.
Increasingly, the laboratory is being recognised as an international referral centre, with samples coming from Australia and other parts of the world. In 2004 the international reputation of our Molecular Pathology team strengthened with referrals received from Australia, Taiwan and North America, as well as collaborative research projects with labs in Germany and the USA.
Community and Public Health provides public health services to more than 555,000 people living in the Canterbury, South Canterbury and West Coast regions, serving as the Public Health Unit (PHU) for the three District Health Boards covering those areas.
Community and Public Health promotes health, and also the prevention of illness and hospitalisations. By addressing the determinants of health, their aim is to create environments, policies, communities, and families/whānau that support healthy choices and lifestyles. Health and wellbeing over the life-course are important, with extra emphasis on children, adolescents and young adults.
Reducing health inequalities is fundamental to raising the health status of people in our regions and working with Māori and Pacific Island communities and groups of relative socio-economic deprivation is critical to reducing disparities that exist.
Medical & Surgical services are predominantly based at Christchurch Hospital which provides a full range of emergency, acute, elective and outpatient services, whilst serving as the South Island’s main tertiary, teaching and research hospital. Our Doctors and specialists also travel to major centres in the South Island, providing specialist clinics and operations. With excellent telemedicine facilities linking the hospital with other sites throughout New Zealand, very few patients need to leave the South Island to receive treatment.
Christchurch Hospital provides services to over 39,000 inpatients each year, with approximately two-thirds of these admitted acutely. A further 21,000 people are day patients each year.
The hospital operates 600-650 beds and there is an active liaison with Burwood Hospital and The Princess Margaret Hospital to ensure that patients are appropriately rehabilitated and placed for acute and sub-acute care.
There are over 350,000 outpatient attendances at the hospital, excluding those for radiology and laboratory services. In addition, Christchurch Hospital has the busiest Emergency Department in Australasia, treating more than 70,000 patients a year.
Many of our doctors and specialists are involved in leading international research, and are often engaged in joint projects with medical research scientists at the Christchurch School of Medicine, part of the on-site University of Otago.
Christchurch Hospital is one of the four main teaching hospitals in New Zealand, boasting high pass rates for resident medical staff and an impressive range of post-graduate nursing programmes.
The South Island Bone Marrow Transplant Unit is based at Christchurch Hospital, receiving patient referrals from all over the South Island, and providing an inpatient service primarily for those patients with a haematological malignancy.
Burwood Hospital provides the most specialised service in NZ for treating spinal patients. There are only two such units in the country, with Burwood treating 60% of NZ patients with spinal injuries; around 520 a year in either an acute, post-operative or rehabilitative phase. We admit patients from throughout the South Island and the lower half of the North Island, covering half of the country’s population. The spinal unit is also involved in leading international research to help spinal patients rehabilitate and adjust.
Burwood Hospital is proud to offer a new Surgical Services Unit, in addition to a range of services including Elective Orthopaedic Services, The Pain Management Centre, a Primary Birthing Unit, Public Health Nurse Service, Vision & Hearing Tests, and Community Paediatric Therapy.
Our Older Persons Health Specialist Service provides geriatric and psychiatric services for older people in Canterbury, funded by Disability Support Services and CDHB.
The Princess Margaret Hospital is the major centre for specialist Older Persons Health services, with two inpatient services based across seven wards. These services are Assessment Treatment & Rehabilitation & Psychiatric Services for the Elderly. This service includes community inpatient beds, the Riley Day Hospital, ,a generic geriatric outpatient clinic, and a specialist osteoporosis clinic.
The Princess Margaret Hospital also offers psychogeriatric services for the elderly which occupy two wards offering inpatient beds, outpatient clinics, drug and alcohol liaison services for people over 65, and the Mabel Howard Clinic – a day hospital which provides assessment, treatment and rehabilitation programmes.
Older Persons Health Specialist Service also has a large base of community staff that provide specialised services. This service is part of the division know as Older Persons’ Health and Rehabilitation and also has services based at Burwood Hospital.
Burwood Hospital provides the most specialised service in New Zealand for treating spinal patients. The Burwood Spinal Unit is one of only two such units in the country and included in the services it provides, is rehabilitative services for patients with spinal injuries. The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service specialises in providing services for patients under 65 years suffering traumatic and physiological brain injuries. The Pain Management Centre is a specialist service aimed at assisting patients coping with persistent and chronic pain.
The Rural Health Services covers a wide range of services in rural areas. There are a total of eight rural hospitals across Canterbury the largest being Ashburton Hospital . Generally based out of Ashburton Hospital but also covered within some of the smaller rural hospitals services include: general medicine and surgery, palliative care, maternity services, gynaecology services, assessment treatment and rehabilitation services for the elderly and long-term care for the elderly including specialised dementia care and diagnostic services.
Also offered are rural community support services: day care services, district nursing, home support, meals on wheels and clinical nurse specialist services in many areas including respiratory, cardiac, diabetes, wound care, urology, continence and stoma therapy. The Rural Health Service also operates Tuarangi Home a facility providing hospital care for the elderly in Ashburton.
CDHB funds and provides dental services for children in Canterbury and South Canterbury.
The main services provided are free dental care for children from birth to school Year 8, usually delivered through school based dental clinics. There is also free dental care provided by private dentists contracted with the CDHB for those from Year 9 at school until 18 years of age. Other services include hospital oral and maxillo facial surgery.
CDHB Specialist Mental Health Service (SMHS) is the major provider of mental health services in the Canterbury region. SMHS provides regional services including a Mothers and Babies Unit, Eating Disorders Unit, Kennedy Detoxification Unit, Child and Family Inpatient Unit, Youth Inpatient Unit, and a Forensic Service.
Mental Health Services are provided at Hillmorton Hospital, The Princess Margaret Hospital and at various Christchurch community sites, including Ashburton.
The Service aims to provide “excellence of care for people with mental illness, ensuring their dignity, safety and independence”.
Hillmorton Hospital provides an Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Service, a 24-hour inpatient service with 64 beds, and a specialist outpatient service for 13-18-year-olds with moderate to severe mental illness.
The Psychiatric Service for Adults with an Intellectual Disability includes a 15-bed inpatient unit, a day hospital programme, outpatient work and community housing. The hospital also has an Alcohol and Drug Detoxification Unit, which provides a six-bed inpatient unit, screening and early intervention services, referral to other drug and alcohol services, health education and promotion. The hospital’s Rehabilitation Service provides extended care for people who have a disability arising from an established diagnosis of psychiatric illness and who require ongoing intensive support.
The Princess Margaret Hospital provides Psychogeriatric Services for the Elderly which occupy two wards offering inpatient beds, outpatient clinics, liaison with drug and alcohol services for people over 65 and the Mabel Howard Clinic – a day hospital which offers assessment, treatment and rehabilitation programmes.
Opened in 2005, the purpose built Christchurch Women’s Hospital and Day Surgery unit is an example of the CDHB’s commitment to continually improving the quality of care we provide to Canterbury people and the facilities in which we provide it.
Our Gynaecology Service provides professional, quality care for the women of Christchurch, greater Canterbury and other centres within the South Island. The services provided cater for women with Acute and non acute Medical/Surgical Gynaecological conditions, and Oncology/Gynaecology treatments including Brachytherapy and Pregnancy conditions (up to 24 weeks gestation). The hospital includes a Birthing Suite, School of Medicine, Neonatal Unit and Maternity Ward.
Neonatal service provides 24-hour care for newborn babies with a variety of special needs. Currently we provide nine intensive care cots and 28 level one and two cots for babies with special care needs. Apart from those with cardiac problems, all newborns needing surgery are operated on at the hospital. Neonatal facilities are also offered at Burwood Hospital, Lincoln in mid-Canterbury and Rangiora in North Canterbury.
The CDHB, Child Health Service at Christchurch Hospital is a regional service providing specialist care for children throughout the South Island.
The Service is made up of five areas including:
- Children’s Acute Assessment Unit (CAA): 24 hour 7 day a week unit for assessment, treatment and follow-up of acute admissions for the Child Health Service
- Ward 21: A surgical inpatient unit for all elective and acute surgery, for children aged 1-15 years of age and all children with Cystic Fibrosis and Burns
- Ward 22: A medical inpatient unit with surgery for children under 1 year old. This includes the High Dependency Unit (HDU)
- Children’s Haematology and Oncology Centre (CHOC): This unit is for the diagnosis, treatment and management of children with haematological conditions and cancer from around the South Island
- Paediatric Outpatients: An outpatient and 5 bed day unit