News

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) information for patients and visitors

What to expect if you have an upcoming admission or want to visit a loved one in hospital.

22 Dec 2021

Information for visitors

Please note that to protect our patients, visitors are now only allowed by exception, for example:

for patients in critical condition
for patients receiving palliative care
parents visiting children
partner supporting women giving birth
to provide interpreter or language support
a designated carer or principal care provider.

Requests to visit a patient will be considered on a case-by-case basis, based on a risk assessment by the nurse unit manager

Emergency Department patients can be accompanied by one support person only

Visitors permitted to enter must be:

be 12 years of age or older
be fully vaccinated for COVID-19
show evidence of their vaccination status to staff on entry
wear a surgical mask upon entry and for the entire time of their visit
scan and register with the Service NSW QR code and display on entry
check in at the Nurses Station.

Visiting hours are strictly between the hours of 9.00am and 6.00pm daily. Rest period in maternity from 12.00pm to 3.00pm.

In areas with patients at higher risk or receiving higher levels of care, there may be additional restrictions and precautions.

Information for patients

If your previously postponed surgery can now be scheduled, or there are any changes to your upcoming surgery, your specialist will be in touch to discuss this with you.
If you have:

flu-like symptoms;
temperature greater than 37.5 degrees
travelled overseas in the last 14 days; or
been in close contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19

Contact the hospital for further advice.

If you are concerned that you may have been exposed to the virus please call ahead.

Drive-through testing clinic

ACL has temporarily closed some its drive-through testing sites in NSW. This includes the site located in the carpark at Hawkesbury District Health Service.

To find a testing clinic near you, visit the NSW Government website.

More information

Call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.

You can also access the Department of Health website for the latest information:

FAQs

Read our frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and our hospital care.

We are taking a range of measures and precautions to protect our patients. This includes:

additional cleaning and sanitation measures
limiting visitors
screening patients and visitors in order to provide safe care
prohibiting those arriving from overseas into our buildings
equipping wards with appropriate protective equipment
preparing our negative pressure rooms for suspected cases
cashless transactions.

Planned elective surgeries may change depending on the latest State guidelines and restrictions. If your surgery is affected your specialist will be in contact to discuss this with you.

We have a comprehensive range of coronavirus (COVID-19) precaution measures in place to ensure we are mitigating the risk of infection and ask that you support us in this.

For your safety and that of our caregivers, many St John of God Health Care services are now offering online appointments. If your appointment can be done online (via telehealth) and this is your preferred option, you will receive an email before your appointment so you can connect with us.

We understand you want to ensure you and your family to have the best care in the safest possible environment.

We have cancelled all maternity ward tours and antenatal classes until further notice to reduce foot traffic in our maternity ward.

If required parent education classes and information online will be offered instead of our traditional face-to-face sessions. The online classes cover a range of topics from what to expect at hospital, preparing for childbirth, early parenting and breastfeeding. Women who are booked in to give birth with us will be contacted via email with the details to attend.

Our birthing suite and patient rooms have and will continue to undergo a rigorous cleaning and sanitation schedule.

Our midwives, ward and support caregivers are under strict screening processes. We also encourage you to limit visitors both in hospital and on your return home to protect your family and our other patients.

Children are counted as individual visitors. COVID-19 visitor restrictions may apply depending on hospital location.

We are continuing to restrict the number of visitors in our hospitals in line with state guidelines for safety. Select the hospital you are attending to see more details about visitor restrictions currently in place:

NSW

VIC

WA

You can get the most up-to-date information and guidelines relating to visitors at your state's department of health website:

If you are seeking assistance, or testing for coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit your nearest COVID-19 clinic; or contact your GP via phone.

COVID-19 clinic details are available here:

There is a hotline available 24/7 on 1800 020 080.

Our emergency departments are open 24/7 for a range of emergency conditions.

If you need to present with flu-like symptoms, please consider going to a COVID-19 clinic where the fastest testing, precautions and treatment can be applied.

COVID-19 clinic details are available here:

There is a hotline available 24/7 on 1800 020 080.

You can use cash to pay for your parking in our machines. For all face-to-face payment transactions, including our cafes, we ask that cards are used at this time.

Telehealth

Telehealth offers the ability to access care from the home, work or other private space without the need for a face-to-face appointment.

St John of God Health Care uses both phone and video call to connect you to your healthcare providers.