St Vincent's Private Hospital Werribee is working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services to help protect and keep our patients, visitors, staff and doctors safe from COVID-19. Our hospital remains open with the appropriate safeguards and containment precautions in place.

VISITORS
From 11:59 pm, Sunday, July 19, we will not be accepting visitors across our four hospital sites. 

These restrictions do not apply to: 
• Paediatric patients: One parent/guardian or carer of patients under 18 years of age
• Disabled patients: One carer/support person allowed
• Maternity: One nominated Partner/Support Person (Please see additional information below)

There will be exemptions for special circumstances where these restrictions do not apply. These will require approval from our Clinical Coordinators and Executive team.

Maternity and Hospital TOURS are cancelled until further notice. 

We currently cannot accept food or flower deliveries. If you wish to send food or flowers to a patient, please redirect to their home address

MATERNITY SUPPORT PERSON/PARTNER

• Nominated partner/support person can stay continuously for the duration of the woman's inpatient stay

• If they need to go home after the birth, they may only return once per day for 2 hours during postnatal stay
• A reminder that the nominated partner/support person cannot change through the woman's admission

ENTRY TO SVPHW
Additionally, to comply with the Victorian DHHS COVID-19 Guidelines; approved support persons and carers must undergo a temperature check, answer screening questions and provide their contact details to be permitted entry
Support persons/carers will not be allowed entry if they have:
• Have tested positive for COVID-19 or are awaiting test results, and have not met the criteria for discharge from isolation
• Have arrived in Australia from overseas within the past 14 days
• Have had known contact with someone who has COVID-19 
• Have a temperature above 37.5 degrees 
• Have symptoms of acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of smell or loss of taste)


ELECTIVE SURGERY
Following guidance received from DHHS, SVPHW will restrict Elective Surgery to Category 1 and Urgent Category 2. Any patients requiring emergency surgery will be unaffected. Please read below about Pre-Operative COVID 19 Testing requirements. 

PRE-OPERATIVE COVID-19 TESTING (MATERNITY PATIENTS)

All mums booked for an elective caesarean section will be required to have a pre-operative COVID-19 swab (test) 5 days before their elective caesarean section booking. Please note this requirement has now extended to all patients of Metropolitan and regional Victoria. Your obstetrician and one of our midwives will contact you to organise this swab.

We ask that our expecting mums (booked in for an elective caesarean section) isolate following their swab to limit exposure. We recommend that the partner or support person also isolate during this time if they live in the same household. 

PRE-OPERATIVE COVID-19 TESTING
Based on DHHS recommendations, we are now asking that all elective surgery patients undergo pre-operative COVID-19 testing. This specifically applies to:
• All elective patients (including endoscopy) entering the operating suite require a negative COVID swab from within the last seven days. Please note this has now extended to all patients of metropolitan and regional Victoria to be mandatory by Monday 10th August. 

For further information please contact your treating doctor or our Pre-admission staff: (03) 9411 7111

If you have any further specific questions concerning COVID-19, visit the Department of Health and Human Services webpage here.