Flowers for a child at John Hunter Children's Hospital
A Newcastle florist makes up the arrangement and takes it to John Hunter Children's Hospital on Lookout Road. Ring the ward first: children's wards have their own rules on flowers and balloons.
John Hunter Children's Hospital is the children's hospital of the Hunter and northern New South Wales, sitting inside the John Hunter Hospital campus on Lookout Road, New Lambton Heights NSW 2305, about ten minutes from Newcastle's city centre and surrounded by bushland. It is run by the Hunter New England Local Health District, has 126 paediatric beds within a campus of around 820, and provides paediatric surgery, intensive care, oncology, emergency care and a long list of specialist clinics. Flowers for a sick child are a slightly different job from flowers for an adult, and the ward's answer comes before the order.
Children's wards set their own rules
The hospital does not publish a single gift policy we can quote, so the following is the general practice in Australian children's hospitals and the ward will confirm it for the room you are sending to. Paediatric intensive care and oncology beds usually refuse fresh flowers; many children's hospitals are latex-free and will not allow latex balloons anywhere in the building, though foil balloons are often fine; and soft toys may need to be new and in packaging. Ring the ward, ask what is allowed in that child's room, and ask whether a parent is staying overnight, because the gift can be addressed to the family as much as to the child.
Addressing an order on the John Hunter campus
The children's hospital shares the building with John Hunter Hospital and the Royal Newcastle Centre, all on the same Lookout Road address, so the florist needs the words "John Hunter Children's Hospital", the ward, the child's full name and, if known, the room. The visitor car park nearest the children's hospital is P2, and the florist delivers to the ward or the main reception depending on what the ward allows. If the child is due home in a day or two, the family home in New Lambton, Jesmond, Wallsend, Charlestown or wherever they live is the better destination.
What works for a child's bedside
If flowers are allowed, keep them small, bright and unscented, in a container that cannot tip or break: a posy of gerberas and chrysanthemums in a box, or a tiny arrangement in a plastic pot, rather than a glass vase. A card the child can keep, drawn or signed by siblings and friends, matters more than the stems. When flowers are not allowed, a foil balloon if the ward permits it, a new book, stickers, a colouring kit or a voucher for the parents' coffee runs are the gifts that get through.
Timing and cost
Newcastle is on New South Wales time, with daylight saving from October to April. Order before 2pm on a weekday or 10am on a Saturday, Newcastle time, for a same-day attempt Monday to Saturday; there is no Sunday delivery, and for a hospital same day is never guaranteed because the ward decides whether and when a delivery comes up. Arrangements start at around AUD 75, with the delivery fee shown at checkout and a card included.
Did you know? John Hunter Children's Hospital has 126 paediatric beds inside the John Hunter Hospital campus on Lookout Road, New Lambton Heights, which opened in 1991.
Frequently asked questions about flowers to John Hunter Children's Hospital
Can I send flowers to a child at John Hunter Children's Hospital?
Sometimes. Paediatric intensive care and oncology beds usually refuse fresh flowers, and children's hospitals commonly ban latex balloons throughout the building. Ring the ward and ask what is allowed in that child's room. If flowers are fine, send a small unscented arrangement in a box or plastic pot, never a glass vase, with a card the child can keep.
What details does the florist need for the children's hospital?
The words John Hunter Children's Hospital, Lookout Road, New Lambton Heights, then the ward, the child's full name and a room number if you have one. The children's hospital shares its building with John Hunter Hospital, so the name matters. The florist delivers to the ward or main reception; car park P2 is the one nearest the children's hospital.
What can I send instead when the ward says no flowers?
A foil balloon if the ward allows balloons at all, a new book, stickers, a colouring or craft kit, a small toy still in its packaging, or a coffee or meal voucher for the parent sleeping beside the bed. A card drawn by siblings or classmates is usually the gift that stays on the wall longest.