Visiting Hours and Contacting Patients

IMPORTANT NOTICE

All Queensland Hospitals are working under the latest Hospital Visitors Direction (No. 15).

• People who have been in Victoria on or after 21 December 2020 may now enter a hospital without providing a negative COVID-19 test since returning from Victoria.

Visitors (unless you are a patient) should not be anyone who:

• is unwell
• has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or asked to quarantine
• has returned from overseas in the last 14 days (excluding safe travel zone countries)
• has had contact with a person with COVID-19 in the last 14 days
• has visited a COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days or since the hotspot was declared (whichever is shorter)
• has been tested for COVID-19 and are waiting to receive the results (except for tests due to surveillance testing obligations)
• has COVID-19 symptoms of fever (37.5 degrees or more), cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of smell or taste, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or fatigue
• has been in Greater Brisbane on or after 2 January 2021, unless 14 days have passed since the person left Greater Brisbane or they are:
  
  • an employee, contractor or student of the hospital
  • providing goods or services necessary for the hospital’s operation
  • providing health, medical, therapeutic, social work or pharmaceutical services to a patient
  • required for emergency management, law enforcement or to comply with an order of any court or tribunal of Australia
  • a parent or caregiver of a patient who is a child
  • visiting a patient being provided maternity care
  • a disability support worker or informal carer to a patient with a disability
  • a visitor to a patient deemed necessary for emergency or compassionate grounds – with permission of the hospital’s operator.

You may enter a hospital if you do not fit into any of the above categories. Each hospital and even wards within hospitals can make decisions around visiting that are in the best interest of the patient. These decisions are based on clinical risk and may change depending on the situation at the time. Please respect each hospital’s visitor rules.

To keep up with the latest information on hospital visitors, including exceptions to the above-stated directions, click here. To keep up with the latest restrictions on Aged Care Facilities, click here.

Visiting Hours

Here at the Townsville HHS, we acknowledge the vital role families and carers play in a patient’s care and recovery which is why our facilities have visiting hours from 8am - 8pm every day.

We ask you to remember during visiting that many of our patients require rest for their recovery, so please be mindful of this when visiting. Some ward areas may also have rest times established, when the lights are dimmed and visitors are asked to keep noise to a minimum. Patients may request no visitors at times and this will be respected.

Many complex processes and procedures happen during healthcare. There may be times when you are asked to leave the area for short periods. If you are unsure about the best time for visiting, we encourage you to talk directly to staff on the ward.

Contacting patients at Townsville University Hospital

Patients at Townsville University Hospital can be contacted by phoning the switchboard on (07) 4433 1111 and asking to be connected to their ward. Each patient has a telephone by their bedside.

Family and friends are encouraged to make direct contact with patients for information.

The phone number for the bedside telephone is: (07) 4433 followed by the ward area and the bed number. Ward areas are:

• Oncology, maternity and children's ward = 70
• Medical ward area = 71
• Surgical ward areas = 72

1. bed 37 in surgical = (07) 4433 7237