East Melbourne Visiting Hospital - COVID Information
The safety of our patients, staff and doctors is our priority.
To optimise safety and minimise infection transmission risk for all patients, staff and visitors, St Vincent’s Private Hospital recommends following the below guidelines:
Important COVID-19 information
Information for Visitors
Visitors are an important part of the recovery process and are welcome in hospitals. Visitors can help reduce patient anxiety and stress. However, it is up to the person in hospital to decide if they want visitors, and visitors must also respect hospital policies and visiting hours.
When planning a visit, please familiarise yourself with the following visitor responsibilities and infection prevention safety measures.
- Please do not attend the hospital if you are unwell, have a temperature, or have signs and symptoms of respiratory illness. Or if you or someone you live with has tested positive for COVID in last 7 days.
- Please do not bring children who are unwell to visit. If you bring children, make sure they are supervised at all times.
- Masks are no longer required in hospital except in certain situations where clinically indicated, please follow the signage and direction from our staff. Thank you for following the requirements and respecting our staff in these circumstances.
- Please ensure you use the hand sanitiser provided on entry to the hospital and on entering a patient’s room.
Visiting Hours
- General Visiting Hours 2-8pm
- Maternity Visiting Hours 2-4 pm, rest period, then 7-8pm.
- Flexible visiting is supported, please speak to your Care Team.
To facilitate a calm and healing environment for our patients, we recommend limiting large groups of visitors in the patients room at a time.
Before coming to Hospital:
Please contact your treating specialist before coming to hospital, if:
- You have been diagnosed with COVID-19 following your last consultation within the four weeks prior to your planned admission
- You are living with an active COVID-19 case or you have been identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 case within the 7 days prior to your planned admission
- You have been tested for COVID-19 and are waiting to receive the results (except for tests due to surveillance testing obligations)
- You have signs and symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever (37.5 or above), cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of smell or taste, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or fatigue.
Prior to arrival to the Hospital:
- All patients will be screened during pre-admission with questions about symptoms of COVID.
- If you have no symptoms, a RAT test is no longer required before you come into hospital.
- If you have symptoms or have had contact with someone who has COVID, please RAT test before admission.
Accompanying Patients on Admission:
Patients are allowed a support person (outside of normal visiting hours) where required within our admission areas.
Our staff will support our patients and nominated support person during the admission process, however limited numbers of visitors can wait with patients due to space constraints.