What to Expect When You Arrive at QCH
Starting June 15, 2020, Queensway Carleton Hospital is resuming some of the clinical services around our hospital.
Care teams are reviewing each case individually based on medical needs and urgency, ensuring that risks and benefits are properly evaluated before rescheduling the surgery, procedure, diagnostic imaging, or clinic appointment that cannot be done virtually. Patients will be contacted as their care can be rescheduled.
In order to keep everyone safe, we have put some new practices in place.
Upon arrival at the main entrance:
- You will be screened for symptoms at one of three screening stations
- You are required to wear a mask at all times when you are in the hospital – you asked are to bring your own cloth mask
- Please stand 6 feet apart from others to ensure proper physical distancing
- Please arrive no earlier than 30 minutes in advance of your scheduled appointment – you will not be allowed entry if you arrive too early
An important note: if you are screened positive for one of the symptoms of COVID-19 and your outpatient appointment is considered urgent, you will be issued a clinical mask to get to your appointment, instead of wearing the mask you came to the hospital with.
There will be a Volunteer on hand to help guide you to a waiting room. Please maintain appropriate physical distance while waiting for your appointment and wear a mask at all times. All waiting rooms are cleaned thoroughly and often to ensure your safety.
Parking
Hospitals across the region are in the process of gradually resuming surgeries, appointments, and procedures that had to be postponed due to COVID-19. As a result, beginning the week of June 29, parking fees will resume at hospitals across the region. Parking revenues are necessary to pay for hospital programs, equipment, and maintenance – greatly contributing to patient care.
Appointment FAQs
When will my procedure, surgery or clinic appointment be rescheduled?
Queensway Carleton Hospital is working with other hospitals in the region to gradually increase scheduled surgeries and procedures. Work is going on in every department, in every hospital across the region, to increase services as safely, fairly and quickly as the situation allows for as many people as possible. Your care team will contact you as soon as they are able to reschedule your appointment.
Who should I call if my condition is worse?
If you have questions about your condition while you are waiting for your appointment to be rescheduled, or your condition changes, please contact your doctor or health-care provider.
If you need emergency care, please go to your nearest Emergency Department.
Can I go to another hospital for my appointment?
The provincial government has advised hospitals to take a gradual approach to resuming services, giving priority to patients with urgent needs. Hospitals in eastern Ontario are working together on a regional approach to resuming scheduled surgeries and procedures.
Sometimes there may be circumstances that make surgery at one hospital possible, but not another. We are working together to make sure that all patients across the region are treated equitably.
Why aren’t all services restarting at the same time?
The provincial government has instructed hospitals to protect a certain level of capacity and resources to be able to care for patients with COVID-19, meaning we cannot fully resume all services at once.
Work is going on in every department, in every hospital across the region, to increase services as safely, fairly and quickly as the situation allows for as many people as possible.
Is it safe to be coming to the hospital for care right now?
As the region enters this new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic with less community transmission, we understand that coming into the hospital may also cause stress for some patients. Hospitals in the region are taking every possible measure to ensure your safety. We are here to care for you. Regardless of where your care takes place in the region, patient safety is a top priority.
What can I expect when I come to hospital?
You will be screened when you come into the hospital. Please plan to arrive no earlier 30 minutes before your appointment and be prepared to answer screening questions about symptoms of COVID-19 and your contact and travel history. Please wear a mask – you are encouraged to bring your own cloth masks to your appointment – and physically distance from others wherever possible.
Will I be asked to quarantine ahead of my procedure?
We will be following public health’s guidelines on testing and isolation. This means that we will continue to screen patients ahead of appointments and at the door, and we will ask patients and staff members to wear masks and practice physical distancing where possible.
Can patients with COVID-19 still come to the hospital for their procedure?
We will be screening every patient for COVID-19 symptoms upon entering the hospital. If you fail the screening, please be advised that your appointment may need to be rescheduled to a later date. The screeners will call the clinic at which your appointment is scheduled to get more information, and you will put on a blue wristband and mask if you are cleared to proceed.
What criteria does the hospital need to meet to increase scheduled surgeries, procedures and outpatient clinics?
The provincial criteria includes: a lower-than-average number of patients in hospitals across the region, known as occupancy; and sufficient staff and personal protective equipment supply.
Hospitals in the region are collaborating to meet the provincial requirements prior to increasing services. As with anything in the pandemic, the situation is constantly evolving, and we will need to monitor criteria throughout this process to ensure that they are being met.