Under the current Department of Health guidelines, all patients require COVID-19 screening 72 hours before elective surgery and some procedures. This will help ensure staff have the right protocols in place to care for you safely.
You must isolate between your test and the day of your admission – even if your test is negative – however you may attend medical appointments during this time.
Please bring your negative COVID-19 outcome to show staff on the day of your admission. If your outcome is positive, please notify staff as soon as possible.
How to complete screening
When you are booking or planning your admission, staff will ask you to undergo COVID-19 screening 72 hours before the day of the procedure.
This requires you to have a COVID-19 test and isolate before your admission.
Where to get tested
You do not need to come to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for testing, and should attend a clinic closest to you. We encourage you to attend a drive-through clinic or a testing clinic offering asymptomatic screening (testing for people without symptoms of COVID, and who have not been to an exposure site or been designated a close contact). The Department of Health lists COVID-19 testing sites on its website at coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
After your test
After your test, you must self-isolate at home until the day of your admission – even if your test is negative. You may attend medical appointments and seek emergency care during this 72 hour period.
Your results
On the day of admission, you’ll be asked to show the outcome of your negative test. This may be a text message on your phone, or an email, for example. Staff will provide you with a contact number to use to report your results if you test positive for COVID-19.