The GP Liaison team at Royal Melbourne Hospital has provided the following COVID-19 update for GPs:
City Campus
- Royal Melbourne Hospital’s (RMH’s) City Campus Emergency Department (ED) has both normal ED, and a separate Respiratory ED for potential COVID-19 patients.
- The Hospital’s City wards are separated into normal wards and specific COVID-19 wards. Staff have PPE, PPE training and access to staff COVID-19 screening clinics.
- Visitors are only for palliative care and essential care giving, by prior arrangement. Phone and video chat are encouraged instead.
- Patients are not being discharged to Royal Park Campus for subacute care of rehabilitation currently. They may be referred to another service.
Royal Park Campus
- The Royal Park Campus (RPC) has accepted COVID-19 positive patients from some local nursing homes where they have difficulty isolating patients.
- Consequently, RPC will not be accepting patients for subacute care, rehabilitation or transition care.
- No visitors at RPC, unless by prior arrangement in exceptional circumstances.
- Outpatient appointments are mostly by telehealth.
What does this mean for GPs?
- RMH aims to keep patients, staff, families and visitors safe.
- The RMH Emergency department can still safely see normal ED presentations.
- Families may be worried they cannot visit their loved ones in hospital.
- Some patients may be discharged home early and may need a GP telehealth check-up after you receive their discharge summary*.
- Some patients may be transferred to services further from home than usual.
- Some patients may go home as RMH@Home patients (hospital in the home).
- RMH is developing a virtual hospital model for COVID-19 positive patients, and you may be asked to assist with monitoring well patients by telehealth.
- Patients may need support from family/friends for RMH or GP telehealth appointments.
*If a GP does not have a discharge summary, please download the patient information request form available on the RMH website, then fax to RMH Hospital Information Services (HIS): 03 9342 8008. If urgent, please call RMH HIS on 03 9342 7359.
With the GP Liaison team, Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Disclaimer: This article was provided by Royal Melbourne Hospital. While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network does not warrant or represent the accuracy, currency and completeness of any information or material included within.
