The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) aims to provide an environment that is safe, professional and friendly. The RCH Code of Behaviour was developed in acknowledgement of the RCH’s core values of being Curious, Courageous, Inclusive and Kind.

The RCH requests that staff, families, patients and visitors:

1. treat all people with dignity, courtesy and respect
2. be sensitive to the needs of others
3. respect the privacy of others
4. not accept or display offensive behaviour or language
5. respect visiting hours and be mindful of quiet time
6.  respect other people’s property, including the hospital’s
7. look after their own property
8. honour the non-smoking nature of a children’s hospital.

Like our process for medical emergencies, the RCH has a process for managing aggressive behaviours. Highly trained hospital staff form a response team who may be called to help prevent, manage and resolve incidents of violence and aggression in the hospital. They are called the Code Grey Team.

Physical or verbal aggression or abuse towards staff, patients, family members or visitors will not be tolerated. If necessary, security staff and police may be called to intervene.

Visitors to the hospital who do not comply with this code may be asked to leave and may be required to agree to certain conditions if they wish to re-enter the hospital in the future.

Australia Charter of Healthcare Rights

The Charter describes the rights consumers, or someone they care for, can expect when receiving health care.

These rights apply to all people in all places where health care is provided in Australia. This includes public and private hospitals, day procedure services, general practice and other community health services.

View the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights

View information about the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights including languages other than English.

Children’s rights in healthcare

The RCH recognises, respects and supports every child and young person’s right to access health services without ethnic, racial, class, religious, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, language, cultural or social discrimination.

As a subscriber to the Children and Young People’s Rights in Healthcare Services Charter the RCH strives to ensure that every child and young person has a right:

1. to consideration of their best interests as the primary concern of all involved in his or her care
2. to express their views, and to be heard and taken seriously
3. to the highest attainable standard of healthcare
4. to respect for themselves as a whole person, as well as respect for their family and the family’s individual characteristics, beliefs, culture and contexts
5. to be nurtured by their parents and family, and to have family relationships supported by the service in which the child or young person is receiving healthcare
6. to information, in a form that is understandable to them
7.  to participate in decision-making and, as appropriate to their capabilities, to make decisions about their care
8. to be kept safe from all forms of harm
9. to have their privacy respected
10. to participate in education, play, creative activities and recreation, even if this is difficult due to their illness or disability
11. to continuity of healthcare, including well-planned care that takes them beyond a paediatric context.

Photos and filming

You are welcome to photograph and video your own child while they are a patient at the RCH. However, please do not capture images or audio of any RCH staff (including nurses and doctors), other children or their family members unless they give you permission.

Sleep safety

It is unsafe for your inpatient child to sleep on any bed or chair provided for a parent or carer.  To prevent the risk of falls, and to enable our staff to provide the best care in the event of a medical emergency, it is essential that your child sleeps in the hospital bed or cot in their room.

Patient identification

It is essential for patients to wear an ID band at all times, so please speak with nursing staff if your child does not have one. Your child will not be able to receive treatment while in hospital if they do not have an ID band on.