Royal Children's Hospital

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• A typical planned admission
• Hospital routines, accommodation and amenities
• Visiting hours for parents and others
• Helping your child to cope with being in hospital
• Preparing to go home: a special note on medications
• Settling back into your usual routine

 

A typical planned admission

 

Step	Place	Event
1	Admissions Office. In the main foyer of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Building	You and your child book into hospital at the Admissions Office on admission day. Admission day is a long day which involves considerable waiting. You may wish to bring some activities or reading material for yourself and your child.
2	Ward	You will be seen by several members of the health care team, including doctors and nurses.  Your child will be examined and staff will be taking a medical history.. On occasions there may be unforseen circumstances that may cause delays.  Staff will keep you informed.
3	Theatre Holding Area	You can accompany your child to the procedure area where a nurse and / or doctor will meet you. You may find that questions are repeated.  This is necessary as a safety check.
4	Theatre	Your child will be taken into theatre. Check with the anaesthetist whether you are able to accompany your child until they are “asleep”.
5	Parent’s Lounge or Working Wonders Café	Depending on the length of the procedure you may wish to use the available facilities.    Remember to give nursing staff your mobile number if you are leaving the ward area.
6	Recovery	This is where your child “wakes up” from their anaesthetic. Parents are usually able to be with their children in the recovery room once they have woken. You will need to check with the nurses in the Recovery Room.
7	Medical discussion with parents / caregivers	There may not always be the opportunity to discuss your child’s condition immediately following the procedure. It is advisable to ask your doctor prior to the procedure when this discussion might occur.
8	Ward	On return to the ward your child may be sleepy. Recovery is monitored closely for a period of time depending on the type of procedure.
9	Home	Your child will be discharged in line with your medical team's recommendation. The hospital provides: instructions on how to care for your child after the procedure medications necessary to help your child continue his or her recovery at home (see below: Preparing to go home: a special note on medications) details regarding a follow up appointment contact details in the event of any concerns.
10	Follow up	Follow up arrangements will be discussed with you prior to discharge. This may entail an appointment with either your GP or at an RCH outpatient clinic If your follow up is at a Royal Children’s Hospital outpatient clinic, you will receive an appointment either on discharge or in the mail.

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Hospital routines, accommodation and amenities

Children's meals

Breakfast	Served shortly after 7.30am
Lunch	Served shortly after 12 noon
Dinner	Served shortly after 5pm

Parent’s meals
The hospital provides meals to breastfeeding mothers. All other parents and visitors must supply their own meals.

Meals can be purchased from the Working Wonders Cafe, located on the ground floor next to the main hospital entrance.

General amenities
Visitors to the Royal Children's Hospital may access a range of facilities.

Can I stay with my child?
Staff encourage parents or carers to stay overnight with their child. One parent or carer may stay overnight:

• in a parent lounge
• on a reclining chair (first preference is given to breastfeeding mothers)
• a folding bed at the child's bedside (available after 7pm and returned before 7am).

Parents and carers must talk with the staff in their child's ward if they would like to stay overnight. Parents staying overnight must register as an authorised visitor.

Parents from outside Brisbane should speak to the Welfare Officer on 07 3636 7397 before their child's admission to discuss if and how they might access nearby dedicated accommodation in Ronald McDonald House or Leonard Lodge.

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Visiting hours for parents and others

Parents
Parents can visit any time and are encouraged to do so. Due to safety regulations and limitation of space, only one parent or carer is able to stay overnight.

Others
Visitors other than parents or carers can visit between 8am and 12 noon or between 2pm and 7.30pm. A 'quiet time' is encouraged for children between 12 noon and 2pm.

In the interests of safety, visitors at the bedside at any one time should be kept to a minimum.

We recommend you check with your child's particular ward regarding visitors.

For infection control purposes, anyone who has a cold, flu, fever, diarrhoea or rash, or has been exposed to a contagious disease and has not been immunised for that disease should not visit hospital.

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Helping your child to cope with being in hospital

• Try and maintain some semblance of a routine if possible. Talk to the nursing staff about planning care.
• Comfort your child by cuddling, singing, and talking with them.
• Tell your child where you are going and when you will be back when you need to leave the bedside. This saves your child from wondering where you have gone.
• You have the option of staying overnight at the bedside.
• Get as much sleep as possible and eat regular meals.
• If your child is in hospital for an extended period of time you might reuire some time out each day to recuperate. You might want to call on friends and family to assist you where they can.
• If you don't understand medical terminology used by staff in regard to your child's care, ask for an explanation.

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Preparing to go home: a special note on medications

Your child may still require some form of pain relief after discharge. Discuss this with your health care team prior to leaving the hospital.

Some common medications may have adverse effects following surgery or a procedure and should only be given AFTER consulting with your doctor.

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Settling back into your usual routine

It may take some time for your child to settle back into their old routines at home. You can help by:

• understanding these behaviours are normal and temporary
• allowing your child to express their feelings, with your support and reassurance
• spending as much time with them as possible and avoiding leaving them for extended periods.

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