Planned ASMS senior doctors' strike — Thursday 1 May, 24 hours
Patient safety is our priority. Our hospitals and emergency departments will remain open. Continue to attend all appointments on the day of the strike unless we have contacted you to reschedule.
North Shore Hospital provides up to 600 surgical and general medical treatment beds. It has 12 operating theatres, an emergency department and a 50-bed assessment and diagnostic unit. Other services include intensive care, elective surgery, coronary care, maternity and special care baby unit.
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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.
North Auckland accident and urgent medical care — Healthpoint (external link)
For patient enquiries and all departments call either:
Visiting hours vary for each of the wards in the hospital. Select a department or service to find out more.
Select the map above to get directions to the hospital from your location.
If you are coming from State Highway 1 (heading north from Auckland city, or south from Albany):
There are 2 bus stops located on both sides of Hospital Road near the main entrance.
There are many bus stops located in surrounding streets including the Smales Farm bus station.
Visit the Auckland Transport website for bus routes and timetables.
Bus Train Ferry — Auckland Transport (external link)
A taxi rank is centrally located in the North Shore Hospital grounds on the carpark side of Hospital Road.
For patients unable to walk to a taxi, a volunteer or receptionist at the hospital’s ground floor main entrance will call a taxi.
The Total Mobility Scheme may be able to help with subsidised taxi fares. Go to the Auckland Transport website for more information.
Total Mobility Scheme — Auckland Transport (external link)
The National Travel Assistance Scheme helps people who need to travel long distances or travel frequently for health appointments.
The National Travel Assistance (internal link)
The Hato Hone St John Waka Ora Health Shuttle is a community service that transports people to and from medical and health-related appointments. The service is run by volunteers. A donation is greatly appreciated to help cover costs.
The health shuttle operates a service for Waitakere residents to health-appointments in West Auckland.
To make a booking for Hato Hone St John Health Shuttles (bookings close at 3pm on the day before travel), call 0800 103 046
Waka Ora Health Shuttles — Hato Hone St John (external link)
The free visitor shuttle travels regularly between Waitakere Hospital and North Shore Hospital, Monday to Friday.
Bookings are essential and must be made 24 hours before transport is required.
To make a booking call 0800 101 190
The shuttles depart from outside the main entrance of each hospital building.
Departure times are the same for both North Shore and Waitakere Hospitals.
It takes around 30 minutes to get to the other hospital, depending on traffic.
This shuttle is for visitors only. Patients must use the 'Community to hospital patient shuttle'.
The Community to hospital patient shuttle is an on-demand service for outpatient appointments. People visiting patients can use this service if seating is available.
The shuttle runs between 9:30am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Bookings are essential and must be made at least 3 working days in advance. Call either number to book:
You can use the shuttle if you live in Rodney or Hibiscus Coast and your appointment is at:
The return cost is:
The shuttle can take you to:
The shuttle has 2 set return times from each site.
You can use the shuttle if you live in West Auckland and your appointment is at:
The shuttle costs $12 return, or $6 one way.
Tamariki under 13 are free.
The shuttle can take you to:
The shuttle has 2 set return times from each site.
You can use the shuttle if you live in North Shore and your appointment is at:
The shuttle costs $12 for a return trip to all locations.
One-way trips to or from Waitakere Hospital are available for $6.
North Shore Hospital is the pick-up and drop-off point for all North Shore residents.
The shuttle is available between 9:30am and 4pm.
A parking building is available close to the entrance of the hospital.
Parking charges apply 24/7.
Take a parking ticket from the barrier when you arrive at the hospital. Take your ticket with you and pay before returning to your car.
The amount you will pay depends on how long you are in the car park for.
If you have lost your ticket you will pay the maximum daily charge of $20.40.
Pay stations are located at:
Talk to the Charge nurse manager, or Nurse coordinator after hours, if you need help with parking costs.
Parking is free for motorcycles and bicycles.
Take a parking ticket from the barrier when you arrive at the hospital. When leaving, go to the barrier and talk with Traffic Services using the intercom — they will raise the barrier for you.
Motorcycle parking is located on the lower ground floor of the parking building.
Bicycles use the pedestrian access points to enter and exit the campus. Please share the footpath with care.
Cycle racks are available by Entrance 4.
Mobility car parks are available to anyone who displays a valid mobility parking permit.
If you need help and would like to speak to the parking staff call 0800 101 190
If you are hearing impaired you can text 021 274 0617 or 021 591 258 to advise the traffic services team of any special needs that you may have before you arrive.
There are 2 charging bays in the bottom level of the parking building.
ATMs are available in the main foyer of the hospital.
Tea, coffee, snacks and meals are available for visitors at the following locations.
Vending machines available for snacks, confectionary and drinks after hours. These are located in the main lobby.
There is a general pharmacy in the main entrance of the hospital.
The chaplains are available Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm. Chaplaincy service is available 24/7 through the on-call chaplain — who you can call on either:
Our Ahurewa Spiritual Centre is open to all visitors and is located on the third floor of the tower block. It serves as a base for our chaplains and a welcoming space for patients, whānau, and staff. The centre is inclusive of all faiths, and everyone is encouraged to make use of it.
The centre also houses the Chapel of St. Luke, where:
All are welcome to attend.
The spiritual centre features a prayer room, a quiet room, and 2 seminar rooms.
Our hospital is a Smokefree environment and workplace. This means smoking is not allowed in any building or surrounding grounds.
Help, advice and nicotine replacement therapy are available if you want to stop smoking — just ask ward staff.
Smokefree service — Auckland (West and North) (internal link)
Let your healthcare provider know if you need an interpreter.
At our Auckland (West and North) locations we use WATIS Interpreting Service, run by Asian and Ethnic Health Services. WATIS Interpreting Service:
WATIS covers 142+ languages and dialects including:
Languages available for WATIS — Asian and Ethnic Health Services (external link)
Māori health services aim to improve health status of Māori by:
The introduction of practices based on Tikanga Māori have made a significant contribution to Māori Health across the region. Find out more about our services.
He Kamaka Waiora Māori health services — Healthpoint (external link)
Whanau Ora Cancer care service — Healthpoint (external link)
Whitiki Maurea - Maori Mental Health and Addictions Service — Healthpoint (external link)
Our Pacific health service aspires to ensure all Pacific patients and their families receive holistic, culturally responsive quality and safe care.
Our team understand and value the role of our Pacific heritage, culture, norms and protocols and familial connections to Pacific families living in the Pacific islands and abroad. We strive to ensure all Pacific patients and families accessing our hospital and specialist services feel welcome, safe, valued, heard, understood, informed and involved in the decisions regarding their care.
Find out more about our Pacific health services, including contact details.
Pacific health services (internal link)
Asian Ethnic Health Services (AEHS) provides:
AEHS aims to improve access to:
Asian and Ethnic Health Services (external link)
We are required to follow a number of rules when collecting, using and storing health information.
Privacy statement (internal link)
Informed consent is the process of exchanging information so that a patient can make an informed decision about their healthcare options, including the option of refusing the treatment, procedure or intervention.
Informed consent (internal link)
Preventing falls is a major focus for every hospital as patients can be unsteady on their feet while in the recovery stage.
Non-slip socks are available to help keep you from slipping. Ask your nurse for a pair.
Use the call bell to get help with:
Do not walk on your own if you feel dizzy, weak, tired, or generally unwell.
Wear securely fitting slippers with a non-slip sole and no trailing laces.
If you wear glasses, put them on before moving.
Make sure you know where you are going — ask for help until you are sure of your way.
If you have anything to carry, ask the staff for help until you feel completely stable on your feet.
If you have a catheter bag, make sure it is fitted securely to your leg and is not likely to drop on the floor and trip you up.
Make sure pajama bottoms are tied securely and are not likely to fall down and trip you up.
Your privacy, dignity, spiritual and cultural beliefs will be respected at all times.
Bathrooms and toilets are designed to provide a range of facilities appropriate to your care while offering maximum privacy.
Wherever possible we aim to accommodate patients in same-sex accommodation. Sometimes this is not possible, but staff will make sure your privacy and dignity are maintained if you are sharing an area with members of the opposite sex.
The security team aims to provide a safe and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors. They patrol inside the hospital, the grounds and car parks 24/7. They also work with traffic staff, police and ambulance officers to provide added assistance should a situation occur.
All staff carry Health NZ identification cards that should be visible.
To gain access to the wards after visiting times contact the ward for permission and security will be contacted to escort visitors after hours.
For safety and protection, CCTV operates in both hospitals, outside and inside the grounds
Fire and disaster drills are conducted regularly. Follow staff instructions and do not panic if an alarm sounds.
We recommend you leave your valuables at home.
A lockable drawer is available in most bedside lockers if you have valuables on you when you arrive at hospital. Ask the nurses for a key and remember to return it before you leave hospital.
We cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage to personal property kept at the bedside.
We have a zero tolerance attitude to violence and aggression.
Tell nursing staff if you experience violence or aggression.
Hospital-acquired infections are considered patient harm. When they do occur, we follow up to ensure we understand the cause and how we may be able to minimise occurrences in the future.
Washing hands is a major focus for our staff — feel free to ask if they have washed their hands.
Hand sanitisers are provided throughout the hospital for everyone to use.
Staff are responsible for making sure your bed and ward area are cleaned regularly. If you are not happy with the standard of cleanliness or see that something has been missed, report this to the nurse in charge.
Patients and visitors can help us to keep people safe by:
Tell your healthcare provider if you are in pain. Remember, it is:
To help manage your pain early, tell us:
We may not be able to take away all your pain but can help you manage it. If you are taking pain medicines, ask:
Paracetamol (such as Panadol®, Paracare®) is good by itself for mild pain. For stronger pain it is given regularly and will help reduce the amount of stronger pain medicines you might need. Strong pain medicines can only be prescribed by a doctor and include:
Paracetamol is not addictive, but strong pain medicines can be. Talk to your healthcare professional if you have any concerns about this.
Tablets or liquids are the most common and easy way to take medicines. Sometimes an injection or drip may be used — ask your nurse if this is right for you.
Other ways to help manage your pain could include:
Pain medicines are effective but can also cause side effects. To help reduce these, let us know if you:
Some side effects you need tell your healthcare provider include if you:
Before you leave hospital make sure you ask:
You will generally get a prescription for 3 to 5 days of pain medication when you leave hospital. Talk to your main healthcare provider if your pain continues.
Every ward has a Quality board that displays information about the quality of services we provide.
Quality boards are regularly updated to provide information about our work to ensure patient safety and improve patient and staff experience. They provide figures to show you how well wards are performing and what we are doing to continuously improve.
Quality boards also have the name and contact number of the Charge nurse manager for each ward so that you know who to contact with any questions or concerns.
We have plans in place to respond to emergencies, which can include:
In case of emergency staff will keep you safe and informed.
Hospitals are busy environments and can be stressful for many people, particularly if you are unsure what to expect on the day.
You may want to wear a hidden disability (Sunflower) lanyard during your time with us if you have a disability that is not immediately obvious to our staff, such as:
Our staff recognise the Sunflower lanyard and can provide you with help you may need at the different stages of your time with us. If you are feeling overwhelmed, staff can slow down a process for you and offer extra assurance.
A Sunflower lanyard does not provide a fast track through queues or provide you with a staff escort through the hospital.
What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower? — YouTube (external link)
You can buy a Sunflower lanyard from Hidden Disabilities.
Once you receive a Sunflower lanyard it is yours to keep and use for future journeys or outings where the scheme is recognised.
Hidden Disabilities (external link)