Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Visitor information

Open hours

24 hours a day, seven days a week.

After hours access

Werribee Mercy Hospital’s main entrance is open from 6.30am-8pm. Please check the visitor information page for up-to-date restrictions and guidelines.

After-hours access is limited (due to safety reasons) and occurs via the Emergency Department.  Security will escort you to the ICU as many of the areas are locked and require special access.

Parking can be found near the Emergency Department for after-hours access.

General visiting hours

Visiting hours: ICU visiting hours are between the hours of 2PM to 8PM.  The visiting hours may be flexible for family and close friends depending on patient condition. The patients will have an afternoon rest period where relatives are encouraged to leave the unit to rest and recharge at this time.

When visiting the ICU please consider our patients, staff and other visitors:

All visitors must use antiseptic hand rub when entering and leaving. This is located at the ICU entrance and throughout the unit.

When visiting, please remain in the patient’s room to help maintain privacy for others on the ward. Do not bring food or drinks into the patient’s room.

PLEASE DO NOT BRING FLOWERS OR PLANTS. These are not allowed in the ICU as our patients are very vulnerable to germs.

Use of mobile phones: Please turn your phone on silent. It is generally OK to use mobiles and tablets in the ICU, however we ask that you please double check with nursing staff first because some machines are sensitive to mobile phone interference.

What if I am not feeling well : If you are feeling unwell you should not visit the ICU. If you are unsure, please contact the ICU before visiting.

When can I visit?

We encourage only immediate family, close relatives and friends to visit during a patient’s stay in the ICU.

For safety reasons we usually restrict the number of visitors to two at the bedside at any one time. In exceptional circumstances more family members may be able allowed to visit these arrangements need to be made with the Nurse in Charge.

During doctors’ rounds and procedures such as x-rays you may be asked to leave the patient’s bedside temporarily.  At times you may be asked to leave during handover times so staff can relay important information about your loved one without distractions.  Your participation in your relative’s care is valuable and we will include you ongoing management and treatment decisions, where possible and in consultation with the patient.

There is a visitors’ waiting area with facilities for refreshments. On level 5 there is a Wellness Centre for you to take time out from the busy ICU environment. There are toilets, including accessible toilets, and baby changing facilities located opposite the ICU reception.

Children

You may need to consider whether a child should visit their parent or a close relative in an ICU. You should check with staff before bringing children to the unit and talk to the child about it.

If the child decides they want to go into the ICU, prepare them for what they might see, including the many machines, what the machines do and how the patient might look. We would also advise you to bring in something to occupy the child during the visit.

On site shops and cafes

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the café at Werribee Mercy Hospital is currently closed. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Contacts and emergency

Naturally, relatives and friends will want to know about their loved one’s progress. It is helpful if only one person phones the ICU for a daily update and then informs anyone else concerned. This may not be possible in every situation but it does assist staff by saving them time which could otherwise be devoted to patient care. Detailed medical information is not normally given over the phone.

The direct ICU phone number will be provided to the patient’s primary representative.

Emergency contacts at this hospital

Other emergency contacts

Other contacts at this hospital