Chief Executive Alert / Wednesday 8 June 2022 – Easing visitor restrictions from today

Easing visitor restrictions from Wednesday 8 June

This advice has been updated: Please refer to monashhealth.org for our latest visiting guidelines. 

Throughout the pandemic, visitors to health services across Victoria were restricted to protect patients and employees from infection. We know this was challenging for patients and their loved ones, so now, with high vaccination levels and well-embedded PPE use in place, we are easing our guidelines, acknowledging the important role visitors play in the well-being of our patients.  

Screening teams will remain in place at entrances to reduce the risk of visitors with COVID-19, influenza or gastroenteritis entering, and ensure correct mask use by visitors.  

From today, Wednesday 8 June 2022, the following visitor guidance applies: 

As we welcome more visitors, it is important that you read and understand these new settings.

General entry requirements for hospitals and community centres

All visitors must wear a mask

It is a condition of entry that all visitors wear a mask while at a Monash Health hospital or community centre, unless they have a valid exemption.

In public areas

• All people eight years and older must wear a surgical or N95 mask.

In patient care areas

• Adult (18+) visitors, caregivers and support people must wear an N95 mask.
• Children aged 8-17 years must wear a surgical or N95 mask.

Visitors may only remove masks to eat and drink outside patient care areas. The clinical team may provide exemptions in some circumstances, e.g., at the end of life, for a patient with special needs or where a carer is staying overnight with a patient.

Unless specifically authorised by the treating team, visitors may not remove masks or other personal protective equipment while visiting COVID-19 positive patients.

Physical distancing is required

We ask that visitors maintain a 1.5 metre distance from other people.

Visitors will not be permitted if:

• Unwell with any COVID-19, gastroenteritis or flu like symptoms, e.g., running nose, fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhoea.
• Awaiting a COVID-19 test result.
• Have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 in the past seven days (unless wearing appropriate PPE).
• Have been advised you are a close contact by a contact tracing team.

Visiting Hours

All visits must occur within visiting hours (10am to 8pm) unless specified otherwise.

Specific entry requirements for patient care areas

Adult Inpatients (not ICU)

• Two visitors per patient per day, for a maximum of one hour per visit (i.e., two people may visit for one hour each).
• One child under 12 may attend with a visitor and will not be counted in overall visitor numbers.
• One carer/support person may stay overnight in exceptional circumstances (at the discretion of the local management team).

Adult ICU

• Two visitors per patient per day, for a maximum of one hour per visit (i.e., two people may visit for one hour each).

Emergency Department

• Adults – Patients may attend with one support person. Adults with special care needs may have two support people.
• Children (under 18 years) may have up to two support people.

Specialty Consulting / Imaging / Community appointments

• One person may accompany an adult or child attending an appointment.
• Children of a patient may attend only in exceptional circumstances, e.g. if no other care option is available.

Pregnancy appointments

• One person may attend with a patient.
• Children of a patient may attend only in exceptional circumstances, e.g. if no other care option is available.

Birth Suite

• Two people may accompany a patient.

Maternity Wards

• One designated partner/support person may visit anytime between 8am and 8pm.
• Children under 16 years may visit by special arrangement if accompanied by an adult.

Newborn (NICU and SCN)

• Maximum of two visitors at the cot side.
  • One must be a parent/guardian.
  • Children under eight years old may only visit if they are a sibling.
• One parent/guardian may stay overnight.

Children (under 18yrs) General and PICU:

• Two parents, guardians or caregivers may visit during visiting hours.
• One parent or guardian may stay overnight.
• Up to two additional visitors may visit per day for a maximum of one hour each visit (i.e., two people may visit for one hour each).
• Siblings of patient may visit.
• The number at the bedside cannot exceed two.

Mental Health: Child/Adolescent/Mother/Baby:

• One parent/guardian/caregiver may visit during the day when this does not contravene the individual’s treatment plan.

Mental Health Adult:

• Two visitors per patient per day, a maximum of one hour per visit (i.e., two people could visit for one hour each), where this does not contravene the individual’s treatment plan.

Mental Health Secure Extended Care Unit (SECU UNIT 4):

• Please contact the unit directly to arrange visits.

Special considerations

Special considerations are in place for end of life, where there is a high risk of death in relation to impending treatment or surgery, or where a patient’s condition has been assessed as unstable or deteriorating.

• Two visitors at a time may be with the patient between 0800-2000 and outside these times by arrangement with the unit.
• The unit will facilitate all reasonable visitor attendance.

COVID-19 Positive patients

COVID-19 positive patients may have visitors. Visits must be arranged with the local care team before attending.

Visitors must strictly adhere to PPE requirements as advised by the local care team. If you cannot wear a mask, you will not be able to visit.

Caregivers

Patients with special needs, e.g., disability, delirium, dementia, patients who require carer support, patients requiring language support, and visitors who need to learn home care needs.

• These patients may have a carer with them at all appropriate hours, including overnight, if arranged with the ward/unit.
• This carer will not be counted as one of the total visitor numbers for the day (i.e., the patient may have a further two visitors), but the total visitors at the bedside at any time will not exceed two.

Virtual visiting

When possible, we encourage all patients to bring a device into hospital with them such as a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. Our ward staff can assist in connecting devices to our FREE patient Wi-Fi.

For patients who do not have their own device, need help with technology or are too unwell to use their own device, nursing staff can arrange for patients to have a virtual visit with a friend or family member, using one of our iPads.

Andrew Stripp
Chief Executive