At Osler we understand the importance of family presence in a patient’s healing and well-being. Throughout the pandemic, we have continually re-evaluated and revised our Visitor and Essential Care Partner Policy with the goal of always balancing the needs of our patients and their loved ones with the health and safety of all those who are cared for, work or volunteer at Osler. We have revised our Visitor and Essential Care Partner Policy to support more visitors and essential care partners (ECPs) on site.
Most visitors and ECPs are no longer required to show proof of vaccination and screening has shifted from active to passive, meaning visitors and ECPs must self-screen for COVID-19 or any flu-like symptoms and not come to the hospital if they are sick.
As a health system caring for some of the most vulnerable in our communities, Osler’s masking policy will remain in place until further notice. Wearing a hospital-issued mask while at Osler will continue to be mandatory for all staff, physicians, volunteers, patients and visitors before entering Osler’s facilities to ensure everyone’s ongoing safety.
Osler does offer a greeting card delivery service for inpatients at Brampton Civic and Etobicoke General. Please complete our greeting card request form, and one of our volunteers will make arrangements to deliver the greeting card to your loved one.
Visitor and Essential Care Partner Policy |
Under the revised Visitor and Essential Care Partner Policy there is no limit to the number of visits per day or length of each visit as long as it is within visiting hours and the number of people at the bedside at any time does not exceed two. More details are as follows:
Critical care exception:
COVID-19 positive or patients suspected of being COVID-19 positive:
Support persons may be asked to wait in common areas such as our cafeterias or lobby areas due to the space limitations in many of our outpatient wait rooms. When possible, if support isn't needed, we ask that outpatients be dropped off and picked up. With the exception of critical care, all inpatient visits must be scheduled to ensure physical distancing is maintained, especially in rooms with multiple patients. Visits will be scheduled between 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Is the visitor policy the same for the Reactivation Care Centre?Yes, the visitor policy is the same for visitors to the Reactivation Care Centre, however the visiting hours are instead between 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Please connect directly with the Reactivation Care Unit clinical team to make arrangements for your visit. Are there situations in which I may be asked to postpone my visit?Yes, the health and safety of our patients, their loved ones, and our staff, physicians, and volunteers is our top priority so depending on the number of patients in the room and size of the room, you may be asked to visit at a different time to ensure all safety protocols, including physical distancing, can be maintained. What guidelines need to be followed when visiting?If you feel unwell with either a persistent cough, shortness of breath, fever, soar throat, or flu-like symptoms or if you have been in contact with a family member (or recent contact) who is self-isolating or has been diagnosed with COVID-19, you should not visit. All visitors will be:
Which entrance should visitors use?Please use the main lobby entrance when visiting either Brampton Civic, Etobicoke General or Peel Memorial. Outpatients and visitors can also enter at entrance B at Brampton Civic. For more information and for rates, see directions and parking. |
Pre-planning visitors and scheduling a visit |
In the context of visitor restrictions, it is strongly encouraged for everyone to discuss in advance of any hospitalization who they wish to visit if they are to be incapable of making that decision. How do I schedule a visit with an Osler patient on an inpatient unit?To schedule a visit, please call the visitation team between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Monday to Sunday at the location where the patient is receiving care:
Clinical Managers (or their delegate) will schedule all ECP visits following a discussion with the ECP. If in-person visitation is not possible, please refer to the virtual visitation information to learn how to set up a virtual visit. We appreciate your patience as our staff do their best to accommodate visit requests. Does the visitor identity need to be approved in advance?Yes. All visitors must be pre-approved by the capable patient prior to the visitor(s) scheduling an appointment. How and when does a patient approve who visits?The capable patient can approve the identity of visitors once they are admitted to an inpatient bed by talking to a nurse or care provider. What happens if the patient becomes incapable of identifying visitors?If a patient becomes incapable of identifying visitors, their family will be responsible for deciding who the patient’s visitor will be. The patient’s family should confirm and inform the inpatient unit the patient was admitted to. What should the family of patients who become incapable consider when approving visitors?If a patient becomes incapable of approving their own visitors, their family should consider the following factors when approving visitors:
What happens if the family of a patient who becomes incapable disagrees on who the visitor should be?The patient’s family will still be responsible for identifying the visitor. Osler’s Patient Experience office can help families make an informed decision, or if given permission by the patient’s family, make the decision on behalf of the patient based on factors to be considered – listed previously. The Patient Experience office can be contacted at 905-494-2120 ext. 56565. |
Essential care partners |
What is an ECP?An ECP is an essential care partner, usually a family member or friend, who helps support patient care at the bedside, typically for patients at risk of falling and/or who need support in three or more areas of activities of daily living (e.g., eating, going to the bathroom, mobility, cognitive support, etc.). The decision as to whether or not a patient needs an ECP is determined in consultation with the patient’s clinical team. The ECP must be approved by the clinical team. Is there a special weekly or monthly parking rate for ECPs?Osler offers five-day, 10-day and 30-day flex passes. Each pass includes unlimited in and out privileges over a 24-hour period. Passes can be transferred between ECPs caring for the same patient (ECP and one alternate)
For more information and for rates, see directions and parking. |
Virtual visitation |
Is virtual visitation available?Yes. Patients can use their own mobile devices through free guest access hospital-wide WiFi – available at all three hospital sites. We encourage patients to use their mobile devices for Skype, FaceTime and WhatsApp for virtual visits. For patients who do not have a mobile device and want to set up a virtual visit, please connect with your loved one’s clinical team and they can make arrangements with the virtual visitation team or support you in using Family Chat on the Integrated Bedside Terminals (IBT) available in our patient rooms. To connect with your loved one through Family Chat, you will need to know the Location ID of the IBT. Connect with a patient at Brampton Civic If you are using a computer or laptop, the supported browsers are Chrome, Edge and Opera. Currently, only mobile devices with the Android 10+ operating system with Chrome are supported. Please note that if the patient’s bed location changes, so will their Location ID. Are there any guidelines I need to follow during a virtual visit?Electronic communication is vulnerable to cyber risk. To ensure the privacy and security of patients, virtual visits may not be used for discussions with the health care team. If you have questions for the health care team regarding your loved one’s care, please speak with members of the health care team separately via telephone. To protect the privacy of all involved, the recording of virtual visits is prohibited. In certain circumstances, there may be the need to conclude a virtual visit to protect the privacy of others. |