Canterbury District Health Board
The Canterbury DHB is the second largest DHB in the country by both geographical area and population size – serving 510,000 people (12% of the New Zealand population) and covering 26,881 square kilometres and six Territorial Local Authorities.
Christchurch Hospital is the largest tertiary, teaching and research hospital in the South Island and provides a full range of emergency, acute, elective and outpatient services. Doctors and specialists from here also travel to major centres in the South Island providing specialist clinics and operations. Telemedicine facilities link the hospital with other sites throughout New Zealand. This means patients don’t always need to leave their hometown to receive treatment.
Christchurch Hospital provides services to over 40,000 inpatients each year. Approximately 80% of these patients are admitted acutely. A further 23,000 people are day patients. The number of people waiting for surgery has fallen rapidly in recent years due to a significant increase in the number of surgical patients being treated. There are approximately 20,000 theatre visits each year. Christchurch Hospital operates 500-550 beds.
Their busiest time of year is usually winter, and there is an active liaison with the rehabilitation hospitals (Burwood Hospital and The Princess Margaret Hospital) to ensure that patients are appropriately placed for acute and sub-acute care. There are over 300,000 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 83,000 patients a year.
Christchurch Women’s Hospital – was re-opened on the Christchurch Hospital campus in 2005. As well as providing gynaecological and obstetric services, Christchurch Women’s Hospital has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which provides both intensive and special care for newborn babies.
Burwood Hospital – situated in pleasant wooded surroundings in the north east of Christchurch is the Canterbury District Health Board’s centre of excellence for rehabilitation and elective orthopaedic surgery.
Ashburton Hospital – is a secondary level acute medical and surgical hospital. Tertiary level care is available around one hour away at Christchurch Hospital. Rural health services employ around 550 full time and part time staff, which includes a clinical workforce in medicine, surgery and gynaecology, supported by nursing and allied health professionals with extensive experience in a wide range of clinical situations.
Hillmorton Hospital – is the main site for Specialist Mental Health Services in Canterbury. Some mental health services are also based at The Princess Margaret Hospital and in the community.
The Princess Margaret Hospital (TPMH) – is situated at the foot of the Port Hills, in the South of the city.
Lifestyle
Christchurch is the entry to New Zealand’s South Island. Canterbury – bordered in the west by the snowcapped Southern Alps and the east by Pacific Ocean – is New Zealand’s largest region with a vast playground for outdoors adventures.
Christchurch – is a city of art, culture and inspirational storytellers that also serves as a gateway to fun-filled South Island adventures. It has an international airport and is within a couple of hours by road to all the major regional destinations.
Dominated by New Zealand’s highest mountain Aoraki Mt Cook (3,754m) and surrounded by the Southern Alps, a chain of mountains bigger than its European namesake – Canterbury is a place of vast spectacular landscapes offering diverse outdoor nature pursuits and thrilling adventures.
On the go visitors can ski down awe-inspiring slopes, play golf on world-class courses, take to the water (swimming, surfing, windsurfing, jet-boating or white-water rafting) or pedal along stunning cycle trails then relax with wines at beautiful vineyards, wander outstanding gardens or soak cares away in an alpine spa.
There are so many activities available you can go whale spotting, see dolphins and seals, visit gardens, be entertained, shop and more all within a couple of hours of the City of Christchurch.
The New York Times lists Canterbury City as number 2 on their list of places to see in 2014, Lonely planet listed it as one of the top 10 cities to visit in 2013.