For Patients: Your Hospital Stay

Your Hospital Stay

What to bring:

Please bring the following with you into Hospital:

• Your current medications in their original packages (including vitamins, mixtures, creams, inhalers and drops). Also, if possible, please bring a list from your doctor of your current medications, their strength and dosages.

• Recent and relevant x-rays, Ultrasound or MRI scans and test results.

• Glasses, hearing aids and non electric walking aids.

• Medicare card, private health fund details and card, Department of Veteran Affairs card, pension/ concession card, pharmaceutical entitlement card and Safety Net number.

• Payment for Hospital related charges.

• Sleepwear, dressing gown and slippers (for overnight stays).

• Clothes for going home.

• Personal toiletries including soap, toothbrush, toothpaste and tissues (for overnight stays). Do not bring talcum powder.

• Child’s comfort items such as a teddy, blanket, dummy and their special drinking cup or bottle.

• Small amount of change for newspapers etc.

• Names and addresses of the Next of Kin and a second contact person.

• If you have an Advanced Health Directive or an Enduring Power of Attorney for health matters, please bring a certified copy of these.

• In addition, please bring (if you have not already done so) your referral from your doctor, pre-admission forms and signed financial consent.

For Maternity and Birthing Suite admissions please see a list of what to bring on the page: Maternity: what you should bring for your stay

What NOT to bring

• Jewellery.

• Large amounts of cash.

• Other valuables.

• Electrical appliances.

• Unnecessary clothing and luggage.

You will be provided with a security locker for medication and small personal items. A few dollars is recommended for items such as newspapers or articles from the Pharmacy or Café.

Please note: Figtree Private Hospital cannot accept responsibility for lost or damaged personal items or valuables. Please label your belongings clearly so they can be identified easily.

TYPE OF ACCOMODATION:

Figtree Private Hospital offers a high standard of accommodation with both shared and single rooms.

Accommodation is shared in the Day Surgery and Intensive Care Units, where you may find a mix of men, women and children.

While we will make every endeavour to provide you with your accommodation preference, please understand that in certain circumstances of high activity or emergency admissions, it may be necessary to supply you a shared room.

Depending on your reason for hospitalisation you may find yourself nursed for a time in our Intensive Care unit where you will be more closely monitored and observed by nursing staff.

When you arrive at Figtree Private Hospital, please register at Reception. You will then be escorted to your room.

For visitors who require accommodation please contact Reception staff or visit the page: For visitors: accommodation for relatives

Parking:

There is parking located at the front of the Hospital and also in the surrounding streets in Suttor Place, Govett Crescent and Gibsons Road.

CHILDREN IN HOSPITAL:

Children often need special support when coming into Hospital for surgery. To make children more comfortable, it is encouraged that they bring comfort items such as a teddy, blanket and dummy etc. These may accompany the child to Theatre and Recovery. Please also feel free to bring the child’s special drinking cup or bottle as required at home. In most cases one parent/ caregiver may accompany the child into Theatre. After the surgery is completed and the child is settled in the Recovery Unit, the parent/ caregiver may sit with the child until he/ she returns to the ward. These options will assist in making your child’s hospital experience more comfortable.

Staying with your child in hospital

We encourage parent(s) to spend as much time as possible with their child during the child’s hospitalisation. We also encourage parents, where possible to assist with the washing, dressing, feeding and entertaining of their child as this helps minimise the trauma of being handled by strangers. A parent staying overnight will be required to sign a register at Reception by 7.30 pm. Parents will be accommodated in the room with their child on a fold away bed.

In the Day Surgery Unit – due to privacy issues and restriction of space, we can only allow one parent at a time with the child after surgery. This is decided on a case-by-case basis and in keeping with the activity of the unit at the time.

FOR YOUR COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE:

Call Button

Should you require anything, please do not hesitate to call the nursing staff via the nurse call button located in the bedside handset. Our staff will endeavour to answer the call as quickly as possible.

Television

We offer a wide variety of entertainment choices on the television located in your room including access to Austar. The television is switched on and off by holding the television button on the bedside handset.

Telephones

Telephones are provided at each bedside on the Surgical (Keira), Medical (Kembla), and Maternity (Nareena) wards. Local calls are provided free of charge. To make outside calls, call ‘0’ then the required number. You can purchase a PHONEAWAY card from Reception to make long distance and mobile phone calls.

We request that you use your mobile telephone minimally and responsibly whilst inside the hospital. Please refrain from using your mobile when in proximity to patient monitoring equipment and intravenous drip pumps as they can interfere with the machine’s functioning.

Your meals

Our Catering department prepares a variety of top quality, fresh meals. Menus will be provided each morning from which you may select meals according to your taste, dietary or cultural requirements and your doctor’s orders. Consultations with a Dietitian can be arranged should you have any special dietary needs. All food at Figtree Private Hospital is prepared in accordance with current food safety requirements and legislation. To comply with these requirements, we discourage bringing in food from external sources.

Meal times are as follows (approximate):

Breakfast	7.20am
Morning Tea	10.00am
Lunch	12:20pm
Afternoon Tea	3.00pm
Dinner	5.15pm
Supper	8.00pm

Café Ventito, offering light meals and refreshments for patient and visitors, is located in the Reception area. Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 6.00pm, Saturday 9.00 am to 3.00 pm.

Your mail and fax

Incoming mail is delivered daily. If you have mail to post, please contact the Reception staff and this will be arranged for you. A facsimile service is available – contact Reception.

Internet

WIFI is available for you and your family to access during your stay. If using your own laptop, please ask Reception for a password and logon for the WIFI network. If you do not have a laptop, tokens can be obtained from Reception to use at the internet kiosk.

Your spiritual needs

Pastoral care visitors attend the Hospital on a regular basis. Your own clergy person is very welcome. Please ask the nursing staff to arrange a visit.

Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Liaison Officer

The Veteran Liaison Officer visits Department of Veteran Affairs patients whilst in hospital to ensure your needs are being met whilst you are here. An assessment of the requirement for post discharge services is also made during these visits and are organised for implementation on discharge.

Newspapers

Complimentary copies of newspapers are available in lounge areas for patients and visitors.

Smoking

Figtree Private is committed to providing a smoke free campus to support the well-being of patients, staff and visitors. Smoking is prohibited on all areas of the campus effective since May 31, 2011. This includes but is not limited to all buildings, public areas, walkways, roadways, grounds, gardens and carparks. You may wish to discuss Nicotine Replacement Therapy with your doctor prior to your admission.

Your doctor

Your referring doctor is responsible for your medical treatment while you are in hospital and is the person with whom you should discuss your treatment. Figtree Private Hospital have doctors who can assist you when required. In addition, specialist doctors staff certain areas. If you require care from one of these specialists then you may be billed for a consultation. During your admission to Figtree Private Hospital you may be required to have X-Rays or other tests using X-Ray. If you have any questions about these procedures please discuss these with your treating Doctor.

Your medications

Please bring your current medications in their original packages (including vitamins, mixtures, creams, inhalers and drops) with you into hospital. If possible, please also bring a list from your doctor of your current medications, their strength and dosages. These medications should be given to the nurse looking after you on admission.

Figtree Private Hospital has its own in-house Pharmacy service, staffed by one full-time Pharmacist and a full time Dispensary Technician. It is possible that some pharmacy costs will be incurred while you are a patient at Figtree Private Hospital, some of which are payable on discharge. Invoices will be provided when necessary. These costs are minimal and usually subsidised by the government under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) the same as when you have a prescription written by your General Practitioner and dispensed at your local chemist. The majority of items for patients will be charged at the current PBS rate. Occasionally a more expensive item may be prescribed. This will be receipted and a portion can be claimed back from your health fund if you have the appropriate cover. In all cases you are only prescribed and charged for what the doctors consider necessary. Precise records are kept and are available to you from the Pharmacy. We will endeavour to answer any questions regarding the drugs and their pricing (while you are in hospital or after discharge), and provide a prescription record form that can be used towards a yearly safety net on request. Please bring any government concession cards including Safety Net details with you.

Your care

If you have any concerns or queries about your care whilst you are a patient in our Hospital please bring them to our attention. The nurse in charge of your ward will be able to answer questions and resolve problems related to your hospital care.