Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DHHS has new guidelines in place. All patients who are due to undergo elective surgery under a general anaesthetic at Frances Perry House will be required to be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) before surgery can take place. This stipulation has been introduced as surgery may not be the best and safest option for people with coronavirus.

If you need to be tested, WOGS will send you a referral to Dorevitch Pathology, who will have the test results within 3 days. Patients who decide to have a COVID test elsewhere will be required to have it 5 days in advance of their surgery date.

After their test, patients will be required to self-isolate within their household (which means having no visitors to their home) until the time of their procedure. Surgery cannot be undertaken without a confirmed COVID negative test.

As the necessity of having a preoperative COVID-19 test only applies to procedures that are performed under a general anaesthetic, people who are booked to have an elective Caesarean section will not need to be tested (unless they are booked to have a general anaesthetic).

WOGS and The Royal Women’s Hospital share a commitment to doing everything we can to protect the health and safety of our patients and staff during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We are sincerely grateful for your cooperation and will continue to offer you the highest possible standard of care.