A guide for the media

On weekdays, you can reach Waikato District Health Board’s media and communications unit and one of our communications consultants at Waikato Hospital on (07) 839 8899 ext 8780.

For emergency inquiries after hours and at weekends, please call (07) 839 8899 and ask to be put through to the on-duty communications consultant.

Communication and public relations can save you time and trouble trying to track down medical staff and researchers who specialise in the subject you are covering. Often we can put you in contact with a busy practitioner who may not otherwise understand the demands of your deadlines.

We have an in-house visual communications unit and can provide you with images of our hospitals, staff and board members suitable for publication. Many can be found in our photo library.

Our communications consultants are experienced in dealing with the media. Should your enquiry be urgent and you have had no reply within your deadline time, please contact our Media and Communications Director, Mary Anne Gill, (07) 834 3684 - or email her on gillm@waikatodhb.govt.nz. She is able to access your message promptly.

Media and Communications and Viscom brochure

What we can say:

• We do not release any personal information regarding a patient without consent of the adult patient or, where the patient is a child, the consent of the parent or guardian. This consent requirement includes confirmation of admission.

• We do release condition updates but will not confirm other details unless we have consent from the patient or their parent or guardian.

• While we encourage families to allow the media to share information, we respect their right to decide whether to release details.

After obtaining consent, we can confirm admission and provide a condition report for the patient, limited to one of the following:

• Stable: condition unchanged
• Good: vital signs stable, within normal limits, patient conscious and comfortable, indicators favourable
• Fair: vital signs stable and within normal limits, patient conscious but may be uncomfortable, indicators questionable
• Critical: Vital signs unstable, not within normal limits, patient may not be conscious, indicators unfavourable.

Often patients/parents will agree to pass on additional details to our communications consultants. We will obtain consent for this release of information as quickly as possible and report these additional facts.

When patients or their family members decline consent for release of information and request that all information about them or their child remains confidential, we are unable to comment on such patients.

Confirmation of a patient's death occurs only with family consent and after notifying next of kin. Sometimes we will refer you to the police media liaison officer.

Visiting Health Waikato hospitals

• The Media and Communications Unit must approve access by the media to any of our hospitals for professional duties.
  
  
• At Waikato Hospital, you must sign in at Enquiries on Level 1 in the New Entry Building.
  
  
• At the other hospitals, you must sign in at reception.
  
  
• Please let us know your needs in advance. If your plan includes photography of a patient, family or a staff member at our Health Waikato hospitals, we can obtain photo consent on your behalf in advance. This will avoid delays. In group situations, Media and Communications will be on hand to let you know which patients you can photograph.
  
  
• In consideration of the rights to confidentiality of our patients, their families and our staff, Media and Communications will confirm all recording and interviews on hospital property.
  
  
• Patient or parental permission alone is insufficient.
  
  
• Media and communications staff can also advise on staff commitments, treatment schedules and requirements for infection control and arrange a mutually convenient time and location for your interview.
  

In the event of a trauma or an internal emergency, the media plays a vital role by providing the community with the latest news and public service announcements. Our disaster response plan includes operation of an on-site media centre to make sure your needs are met.

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