During Your Hospital Stay

Accommodation:

Frances Perry House is pleased to be able to offer our patients private rooms with ensuites.  In our maternity ward, overnight accommodation for partners is available in the double bed rooms and a limited number of fold out beds are available for use in the single bed rooms.  Depending on your health fund, an out-of-pocket charge may be payable per night.

Electrical Appliances:

Please ensure any electrical appliance/charges are in proper working order (including electrical cords).  This matter is important to ensure workplace health and safety regulations and patient safety.  Please advise our staff if you have any concerns and if you wish to have your piece of equipment checked.

Film equipment in birth suite and the operating theatre

See information on film equipment in birth suite and the operating theatre.

Interpreters:

Available on request but must be prearranged prior to admission.

Laundry:

The Hospital does not provide a personal laundry service. Please make your own arrangements with the help of family and friends.

Mail & Faxes:

Patients can send and receive mail and faxes. Mail delivered after your discharge will be forwarded to your home address.

Meals:

We offer a range of professionally prepared, delicious and healthy meals. Special dietary requirement meals are catered for on request and a chef is available for consultation when required.

Mobile Phones

When you are admitted please ask our staff if mobiles can be used in your room. Mobiles may be used in all public areas including the coffee shop. Frances Perry House does not accept any responsibility for loss or damage to your mobile phone.

Papers:

The local paper is available via the retail precinct on the ground floor.

Pharmacy:

During your hospitalization any medication you bring with you, or any supplied by the pharmacy at your doctors request, will be locked in a drawer at your bedside. Any inpatient medication which you have not brought with you for admission will be provided to you during your stay.

Any medication you require to take home will be ordered by your doctor and delivered to you from the hospital pharmacy prior to discharge. These costs are separately charged on your account, to be paid prior to discharge at reception on Level 6. Alternately your doctor may provide you with a prescription to be filled at an outside pharamacy. There is a pharmacy located in the retail precinct on the ground floor.

Smoking:

Smoking is not permitted within the Hospital or within 4 metres of the entrance and exit doors.

THE HOSPITAL IS A SMOKE FREE ENVIRONMENT

Students

Frances Perry House offers clinical placement for undergraduate/postgraduate student nurses, and midwives. These students work with our experienced staff to gain knowledge and skills. During your stay you may be asked to have a student, under the supervision of our experienced staff, be involved with your care. We appreciate your support for the future of Nursing and Midwifery.

Telephones:

There is a phone beside every bed for local calls. STD, mobile and ISD calls can be made by purchasing a Telstra phone card from reception.

Television:

There is a television at each bedside with the full range of free-to-air channels.  There are Foxtel channels specifically selected with women’s taste in mind at a small additional cost.

Valuables:

We recommend that valuables are left at home. Whilst we try to ensure that all patients possessions are safe and secure, we can not accept liability for any loss of patient items during a hospital stay.

Visiting Hours:

Changes to our visitor policy

The following visitors are permitted at Frances Perry House, including the private consulting suites on Level 2.

• Special Care Nursery – Two (2) people (adult or child) are welcome to visit a baby at any one time during visiting hours. This includes the baby’s parents or designated guardian, who can visit outside of visiting hours. Frances Perry House visiting hours are 2-8pm. Families, please contact the nurse manager before visiting if exceptional circumstances apply.
• Birth Centre – Two (2) support people,including a partner, may be with a patient during labour and birth with no time limit.*
• Maternity wards – Two (2) people (adult or child) are welcome to visit a patient at any one time during visiting hours. This includes the patient’s partner or designated support person, who can visit outside of visiting hours. Frances Perry House visiting hours are 2-8pm.
• Antenatal Ward – Two (2) people (adult or child) are welcome to visit a patient at any one time during visiting hours. This includes the patient’s partner or designated support person, who can visit outside of visiting hours. Parkville visiting hours are 2pm-8pm.  
• Surgical Ward – Two (2) people (adult or child) are welcome to visit a patient at any one time during visiting hours. This includes the patient’s partner or designated support person, who can visit outside of visiting hours. Parkville visiting hours are 2pm-8pm.  
• Outpatient clinics and imaging/diagnostic appointments – One (1) partner/support person may attend a clinic appointment with a patient, if required. Some clinical rooms, treatment areas and waiting areas have space limitations so partner/support person may need to wait elsewhere at times.
• Day Surgery – Patients should attend alone. If assistance is required, one (1) partner or support person can drop a patient to Day Surgery. Our staff will contact the partner/support person when the patient is ready to be collected from the hospital.
• Gynaecology wards - Two (2) people (adult or child) are welcome to visit a patient at any one time during visiting hours. This includes the patient’s partner or designated support person, who can visit outside of visiting hours. Parkville visiting hours are 2pm-8pm. 
• Women’s Emergency Care (WEC) – One (1) partner/support person may attend WEC with a patient, if required. Some WEC clinical rooms and waiting areas have space limitations so partner/support person may be asked to wait outside.
• Children are welcome to visit in some circumstances as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Please see details above. In exceptional circumstances, please contact the hospital before visiting.
• Private Consulting Suites – One (1) partner/support person may attend appointment with private patients.

The hospital visiting hours are:

• Maternity Visiting Hours are 2 - 8pm. Maternity rest time is 12:30pm – 2pm.
• Surgical Visiting hours are 2 - 8pm.

If these times are not suitable for particular visitors, other arrangements may be organised with the nurse in charge. Children visiting the hospital are welcome, but we ask that they be accompanied by an adult at all times.