Send flowers to Werribee Mercy Hospital
A florist in Werribee makes up the bouquet and takes it to the ward at Werribee Mercy on the Princes Highway. Ring the ward first: intensive care and the special care nursery take no fresh flowers.
Werribee Mercy Hospital is the public hospital for Melbourne's fast-growing outer west, at 300 Princes Highway, Werribee VIC 3030, about 25 kilometres from the city. It is run by Mercy Health, the Catholic not-for-profit founded by the Sisters of Mercy, and opened in January 1994 with a 24-hour emergency department, surgery, maternity and newborn care, intensive care, dialysis, mental health, palliative care and outpatient clinics. Fans of Blue Heelers knew it for years as Mount Thomas Hospital. A florist in Werribee or Hoppers Crossing makes up your flowers and delivers them by hand; to a hospital we never promise a delivery time, but a weekday morning order usually arrives that afternoon.
Visiting hours and the ward desk
Mercy Health publishes visiting hours of 10am to 8pm daily, with visits outside those hours at the discretion of the nurse or midwife in charge. Florists deliver in that window and hand the bouquet to reception or the ward clerk. Give the patient's full name as admitted, the ward and a bed or room number if you have it. The hospital has grown quickly, with new operating theatres and a surgical ward in the Catherine McAuley Centre, so a bouquet addressed only to "Werribee Mercy" can take a while to find its bed.
Not the Mercy Hospital for Women
Mercy Health runs more than one hospital, and "flowers to the Mercy" means different things in different parts of Melbourne. Werribee Mercy on the Princes Highway is the public general hospital of the west; the Mercy Hospital for Women is a separate maternity hospital in the north-east. St Vincent's Private Werribee is a different hospital again. Check the name and address with the family before you order; a bouquet sent to the wrong Mercy means a second delivery fee.
Flowers and the wards
Werribee Mercy does not publish a flower policy, so ask when you ring the ward. The general Australian rules are a fair guide: no fresh flowers in intensive care or the special care nursery, none for patients on chemotherapy or in isolation, and a small, unscented arrangement usually welcome on maternity, surgical and medical wards if the room has space. Mental health units often ask for no glass vases, in which case the florist delivers a hand-tied bouquet or an arrangement in a plastic container. If the answer is no, the home in Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook, Tarneit or Wyndham Vale is the address.
A bouquet for a maternity ward in the west
Most flowers to Werribee Mercy are for new mothers. A posy in a jar or a compact bouquet with a water reservoir fits a locker and needs no vase; gerberas, soft roses, ranunculus, tulips in spring and alstroemeria carry little scent and last a week. Leave out lilies and hyacinths near a newborn, and keep potted plants for home. Public maternity stays are short, often one or two nights, so if the baby arrived yesterday the home address is the safer one.
Ordering for Werribee
Same-day delivery is available Monday to Saturday for orders placed before 2pm on a weekday or 10am on a Saturday, Melbourne time, though to a hospital same day is never guaranteed, and there is no Sunday delivery. Add your mobile number so the florist can call if the patient has gone home; a redirected bouquet costs a second delivery fee. Bouquets start at AUD 75 and the delivery fee is shown at checkout before you confirm.
Did you know? Werribee Mercy Hospital opened in January 1994 and stood in for Mount Thomas Hospital in the television series Blue Heelers.
Frequently asked questions about flowers to Werribee Mercy Hospital
Can I send flowers to Werribee Mercy Hospital?
Yes to most wards, but ring the ward first. The hospital publishes no flower policy, and in Australian public hospitals intensive care, the special care nursery and oncology take no fresh flowers. Give the patient's full name, the ward and a bed number, and order in the morning so the florist arrives within visiting hours, 10am to 8pm.
Is Werribee Mercy the same as the Mercy Hospital for Women?
No. Werribee Mercy at 300 Princes Highway is the public general hospital of Melbourne's west; the Mercy Hospital for Women is a separate Mercy Health maternity hospital in the north-east. St Vincent's Private Werribee is another hospital again. Confirm the name and address with the family before ordering.
What flowers suit a new mother at Werribee Mercy?
A small, low-scent posy in its own water: gerberas, soft roses, ranunculus, tulips or alstroemeria. Avoid lilies and hyacinths near a newborn and skip potted plants. Public maternity stays are often a night or two, so if the baby has already arrived, sending to the home a few days later is the safer choice.