Visiting

Keeping patients safe

Mask requirements for staff and patients at hospitals are changing in response to climbing COVID-19 case numbers in the community.

From 12.00am Monday 20 November 2023, at a minimum surgical masks will be:

• recommended for all visitors in all clinical areas
• required for all visitors in high-risk clinical areas. Masks are required when entering clinical areas accommodating inpatients who are transplant recipients or who are receiving chemotherapy. Masks are required for visitors entering these high-risk areas at Rockingham General Hospital:
  • Chemotherapy Unit
  • Intensive Care Unit.

Surgical masks are provided on request within the hospital.

In addition to the above advice, please follow the guidelines below to keep our vulnerable patients as safe as possible.

• Stay home if you are unwell.
• It is still recommended to have only two visitors at a patient’s bedside.
• Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are a quick and effective way to test for COVID-19. Consider doing one before you visit a hospital or health service.
• Practise good hand hygiene.
• Keeping a 1.5 m distance from others
• Make sure you’re up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations.

Visiting a COVID-19 positive patient

Approval to visit a COVID-19 positive patient is managed on a case-by-case basis by the treating medical team and nursing unit manager. Visitors will be advised how to safely put on and remove personal protective equipment.

Visiting hours for most wards at Rockingham General Hospital and Murray District Hospital are:

• 8.00am – 1.00pm
• 3.00pm – 8.00pm.

Please check visiting hours with staff before visiting as visiting times may vary in some areas, such as intensive care or mental health.

All visitors are expected to behave in a manner appropriate to the wellbeing of all patients and our staff. Children under the age of 12 must be supervised at all times.

Latex balloons are not permitted within our hospital. Some staff and patients in our hospital experience severe anaphylactic (allergic) reactions to latex. For their safety please do not bring latex balloons onto the hospital site.