G&M hospital moves to no set visiting hours

Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH), under the guidance of our Patient and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC) has moved to no ‘set’ visiting hours at the hospital.

This change follows many other hospitals across the country, in which evidence suggests patients heal better with support from family and friends.

“CGMH is committed to creating an environment that is supportive of patient and family centered care. We believe it is important for patients to experience the support of family and friends and to be treated as an individual with unique needs. We are committed to providing a safe, secure, and comfortable environment for our patients and staff,” says Norah Holder, vice president of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Executive.

There is still a process and guidelines in place to help make this a positive experience for patients, family, visitors and staff.

Overnight visiting must be prearranged with the patient’s nurse and Charge Nurse and consent must be obtained by a patient’s roommate, if not in a private room.

Overnight visitors must respect the privacy and sleep requirements of all patients in the room.

Between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., visitors must enter through the emergency department entrance.

The department will be notified to expect visitors arriving shortly on the unit by the emergency department Clerk or Charge Nurse. Visitors will be instructed to report directly to the nursing station of the inpatient unit.

More information can be found on the hospital website www.cgmh.on.ca and in our new Patient Guide, given to all newly admitted patients.

PFAC members felt that newly admitted patients and family members often need help understanding how things in their room work, what is available on the unit or in the hospital in general.

Now, Volunteer Ambassadors visit newly admitted patients in the first 24-48 hours and go through a checklist of items such as, how to use the TV’s, phones, Wi-Fi, meal times and dietary cards and services available such as pastoral care, parking, visiting, hand hygiene, cell phone use, etc.

The 16-page Patient Guide is a tool that benefits not only the patient, but their family members and visitors too. Volunteer Ambassadors will work with the patient and their family to help address or direct their questions to the most appropriate place.

“We hope this will help improve the patient experience from a non-clinical perspective, helping patients feel settled in their new environment with a friendly face available to address any questions they have. We began this initiative in November and the feedback has been tremendous. Thank you to this group and all of our volunteers,” says Marg Purkis, chair of PFAC.

For the past year the Hospital’s Patient and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC) has been working hard to improve the patient and family experience. PFAC is comprised of public members who have been patients or had family members who have been patients in the hospital, along with various hospital staff members.