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Coming for a Clinic Appointment
Below you will find general appointment guidelines for different types of clinical appointments at SickKids.
You’ll find general information on how to prepare and what to bring, what to expect during a SickKids appointment, and important things to know about SickKids.
A SickKids staff member will let you know about any special or clinic-specific guidelines for your child’s next appointment. You can also find more information in our Clinics Directory.
If you or your child are sick before your appointment:
Call the clinic before coming to the hospital if you or your child:
- have had a cold, cough, diarrhea, vomiting, fever or rash within two days of your appointment;
- have been sick with or exposed to chicken pox in the last three weeks;
- are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms and have recently travelled internationally, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19
Your appointment may be rescheduled.
Family presence and patient visiting policy
Please note that Family Presence and Patient Visiting for family caregivers, siblings and visitors has returned to the pre-pandemic policy, and depends on the area of SickKids you are visiting or staying:
- Inpatient Units: Up to 4 family caregivers/siblings/visitors are welcome at a time at the bedside during regular visiting hours (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and 1 overnight (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
- CCCU/PICU/NICU: Up to 2 family caregivers are welcome at a time at the bedside and 2 overnight.
- Emergency Department (ED): Up to 2 family caregivers are welcome at a time at the bedside.
- Outpatient clinics: Up to 2 family caregivers are welcome to accompany their child to clinic appointments and tests.
Note: Identification badges/stickers will be worn by all family caregivers, siblings and visitors. Everyone 12 and over must self-screen for viral symptoms before entering. Children under 12 will be actively screened. Families visiting outpatient clinics and the Emergency Department with siblings are strongly encouraged to make use of Family Spaces due to space constraints.
Before coming to the clinic
Clinics Directory
Find information on a specific clinic at SickKids, including what to bring to your specific appointment, what to expect during your visit, and much more.
Preparing for a virtual visit
A virtual visit is like any other appointment with your SickKids care team, except you will be seeing them through your computer or smart device. Learn how to prepare your space and test your equipment before a virtual visit.
Expand the sections below to see guidelines for coming to a SickKids appointment.
Visit our Clinics Directory and find your child’s clinic. You’ll find important clinic-specific information in the directory, such as where to register, what to bring to your appointment and what to expect during your visit.
If you can’t find you child’s clinic in the directory, please read the general clinic information below.
Please be on time, and allow lots of time to get to the hospital.
Prepare to arrive at the hospital at least 20 minutes before your appointment. This will give you enough time to find parking/travel from the nearest TTC station, complete the registration process and find your clinic.
We will do our best to see your child as close to their appointment time as possible. Please know that some patients ahead of you may need more time than expected, and this can cause delays.
Bring your child’s OHIP card - all patients are required to provide valid health care coverage at every visit. If you forget to bring your child’s card or if their card is invalid, don’t worry. It will not affect the care we provide your child. Your child’s health is our number one priority.
If you do forget to bring your child’s OHIP card, call the SickKids Business Office within five business days of your visit to provide your valid health care coverage. If we don’t hear from you within five business days from the date of your visit, you may be sent an invoice in the mail for the services received. See below for how to contact the Business Office.
Your child’s OHIP card must be valid at the time of your visit. This means the card cannot be expired.
- If you live in another province, show your child’s provincial health-care card.
- If you are a refugee claimant, show your child’s Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) certificate.
- If you have private health insurance, show the appropriate information or documentation.
- If you are receiving support from a Community Health Centre (CHC), show a letter from the CHC.
If you are separated or divorced, bring along any legal papers that show who has custody of your child and who can make decisions about your child’s care. For more info, please see protocol for separated families: roles, expectations and documentation required with respect to custody and access (pdf).
If you cannot come to your child’s appointment, it is important that you call the clinic as soon as possible to cancel and reschedule. This will allow the hospital to schedule another child who is waiting to be seen.
Find contact information in the Clinics Directory.
Due to COVID-19, siblings are not allowed at SickKids. Try to arrange childcare for your other children when you come to SickKids. If you must bring other children, contact your clinic in advance to inform them. They may arrange to see your child in a virtual visit.
Children over the age of 10 may also visit the Family Centre. See Family Spaces for more information including locations and hours.
We have free, on-site interpreter services available. Please visit our Language Interpretation Services / Service d'interprétation pages for more information.
Call the clinic before coming to the hospital if you, your child or anyone coming with them has a known or suspected allergy to latex.
By phone:
416-813-7805
Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You can leave us a message with your information on our secure voicemail.
By email:
business.office@sickkids.ca
Send any information and the patient’s name in the body of the email. Do not include this information in the subject line.
Register for your appointment at your clinic, or at Clinic Registration near the Atrium entrance on Elizabeth Street. Your child will be given an identification band to wear at all times.
As part of registration, you may be asked to fill out a Health Equity Demographic Information Form. This form asks patients and their caregivers to provide demographic information, such as ethnicity, spoken language, gender and income. We are collecting this information to learn more about our patients and families, to help us plan and improve care and services, and to ensure that we are providing the best possible care for all. It is your choice to give SickKids this information. Patient care will not be affected if you choose not to fill out a form.
Read more about Privacy & Your Rights.
When visiting SickKids, an identification (ID) band will be placed on your child and must be worn on their arm or ankle at all times. To ensure your child is receiving the right care during their stay, the care team will use the ID band to check their name, date of birth and medical record number.
Please note that your child’s specific allergy/allergies will not be printed on the ID band. The black ID band indicates the child has an allergy while the white band indicates there is no allergy.
If your child’s ID band has fallen off or the information is incorrect, be sure to tell your care team. If they are not wearing an ID band or if they have the wrong one, it can lead to mistakes or delays for your child.
Staff will always look at or scan the ID band before providing care to your child. This may involve:
- Asking parents or patients for two patient identifiers, such as the patient's full name and date of birth;
- Scanning a barcode on the ID band to confirm the patient’s identity; or
- Looking at the information on the ID band.
Family-centred care
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to be active participants in their child’s care and to assist the health-care team in developing the best possible treatment plan. We encourage you to ask questions and tell us about any concerns you have. Learn more about our child and family-centred care philosophy, and the responsibilities you have towards our staff and patients.
No smoking on our property
Smoking is not allowed anywhere on SickKids property, including: 1) the outdoor areas around the Elizabeth Street, Gerrard Street and University Avenue entrances; 2) the driveways, steps, paths, gardens, seating areas and front lawn leading to the city-owned sidewalks; 3) the parking garage; and 4) on city property within a 9-metre radius (approximately 30 feet) of any hospital doorway.
Infection prevention & patient safety
Keeping your child safe is important to everyone at SickKids and we have many safety practices in place. Families can learn more about patient safety and how to get involved in their child's care, from following proper hand hygiene practices to being aware of other patient safety measures.
We are a teaching hospital
As one of the teaching hospitals for the University of Toronto, SickKids trains people from around the world to become doctors, nurses and other health-care workers. During your clinic visit, your child may be seen by one of these students. Be assured these students are well supervised by our professional staff.
Choosing to take part in research
SickKids conducts important research to help improve the lives of children. While you are here, we may ask if you or your child would like to take part in one of our research studies. We will explain why we are doing the study and how it will work. Participation in research is voluntary. No matter what your choice, your child will get the same quality of care.
Find information on a specific clinic at SickKids, including what to bring to your appointment, what to expect during your visit, and much more.
Securely access you or your child’s SickKids health records online.
Learn where SickKids is located and view maps of our campus.
Find information on available parking at SickKids, city street parking, parking costs, parking passes, and more.
Participate in clinical research
Study participants like you allow us to advance our groundbreaking studies. Learn how you can get involved in the next SickKids discovery.
By providing feedback about your visit to SickKids, we can continue to improve the patient and family experience.
On-site interpreter services for patients and families with limited English proficiency.
Learn how we’re making SickKids facilities, programs, policies, and services more accessible for everyone.
Grab a bite or shop while at the hospital.