The Chaplaincy Service is available to all patients, their whānau/families and hospital staff. Chaplains respect each person's beliefs, culture and privacy. The service is there in times of illness, distress, crisis and sorrow and also in the joy and relief from pain and hope for the future.
Chaplains are available 8am - 4pm and an on-call service is provided from 4pm - 8am. Weekly Sunday services are held as follows: Ecumenical at 10am, Roman Catholic at 11.30am and the Māori service at 1pm. These services are held in the Sir John Logan Campbell Quiet Room on Level 6 in Auckland City Hospital. Juma Prayers are held at 1pm every Friday in the chapel (also Level 6). The Quiet Room is always open for private use.
Ward staff can contact the chaplains for inpatients at any time of the day or night or you can phone 09 307 4949 ext 25447.
A 24-hour service is available through wards/departments for those patients who require it. Bookings are made through ward/department staff on behalf of the patient.
For general practices and their patients
Te Toka Tumai Auckland Hospital Interpreter Service is the provider for all Auckland general practices and their patients. Practices can access free interpreting services for all non-English or limited-English speaking patients who are eligible for publicly funded healthcare in New Zealand. However, ACC-funded patients are not included. Telephone interpreting is the preferred medium and interpreters can be used for all consultations except for those involving:
The interpreter service for GPs and their patients is open from 8am - 4.30pm.
For all enquires and bookings, please phone 09 623 6453, fax 09 623 4695, or email: PHIP@adhb.govt.nz
To access telephone interpreting, please call 0800 559 555.
Communication cards can be used in conjunction with interpreter services to help patients who may not speak English as a first language and who may be having difficulty communicating their immediate needs, wants or concerns.
Our hospital staff can provide printed copies of the cards in the language spoken by the patient for use while they are receiving care in hospital. Patients or their family members can also choose to print off a copy of the cards at home to bring with them. Cards should remain with the patient for use at their bedside during their stay. Patients and their families can point to the relevant icons to help the patient communicate immediate needs or wants with hospital staff.
After discharge, patients can take the cards home with them and continue using them if needed - or dispose of the cards in recycling bins if they're no longer needed.
The cards are available in the languages below. A blank* version is available for family members or friends to write in the translations for languages not represented here:
Arabic [PDF, 329 KB] | Blank [PDF, 87 KB]* | Burmese [PDF, 11 MB] | Chinese (simplified) [PDF, 107 KB] | Chinese (traditional) [PDF, 111 KB] | English [PDF, 1.5 MB] | French [PDF, 89 KB] | Hindi [PDF, 331 KB] | Korean [PDF, 103 KB] | Maori [PDF, 88 KB] | Russian [PDF, 98 KB] | Samoan [PDF, 88 KB] | Tongan [PDF, 89 KB] | Vietnamese [PDF, 91 KB]
Te Toka Tumai Auckland Hospital recognises that New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is an official language of New Zealand and that the provision of NZSL is needed for the deaf communities. Whenever practically possible, Auckland Hospital will endeavour to arrange a NZSL interpreter through established providers where sign language is needed for patients.
Social workers are available to assist patients with family and personal problems. They can provide information, counselling and liaison services and can advocate on patients' behalf. Our staff can contact the social workers for you or you can contact them directly on 09 367 0000 ext 25967.
He Kamaka Waiora staff work alongside Māori patients and their whānau, and clinical teams to ensure there is good communication and that care is coordinated, both in hospital and after discharge. The team can help with cultural and spiritual support and guidance. Contact them on 09 307 4949 ext 29200, from 8am - 9pm, Monday to Friday.
The Tautai Fakataha Team is a cultural and social support service for Pacific inpatients at Auckland City Hospital. The Team - Family Support Workers - initiates contact and engages with Pacific patients offering ‘social and cultural support’ to all Pacific patients and their families. Contact them on (09) 630 9943.
The Pacific family support team provides social and cultural support to Pacific children and their families at Starship Children's Hospital in their own language. Our commitment is to assist Pacific patients and families to receive the best care possible, and to work alongside Te Toka Tumai Auckland Hospital staff and teams to deliver Pacific best practice for best health outcomes. The team is experienced in social work, community support, health promotion and education as well as in health management. We offer a confidential service, and our Pacific family support workers can help you by:
The team is located on Level 2 of the Starship building and the team's hours are Monday to Friday, 8am - 4.30pm (wards) and 11.30am - 8pm (Children's Emergency Department). You can ask a staff member or ward clerk to make contact with a Pacific family support worker or phone 367 0000 ext 29500.
The service is designed to ensure that the cultural and spiritual needs of Māori patients and their whanau are met. Kaiatawhai has teams based at Auckland City and Starship Children's hospitals and the service is individualised according to needs, and staff visit Māori patients to assess how they can best support them. The cultural assessment is based on the following aspects of a patient:
The Kaiatawhai service at Starship Children's Hospital is located on Level 2 next to the main entrance, and the hours are Monday to Friday, 8am - 8pm; weekends, 11am - 8pm.
