Admission & Discharge

Bed allocation and single rooms

On arrival at the hospital, please report to the reception area for the building to which you are to be admitted (C, D or G Block). C Block reception is also the admitting point for D Block patients. An Admission Clerk will record all necessary details and an identification band will be fitted to your wrist to be worn throughout your stay.

The Admissions Clerk will ask whether you wish to be admitted as a public or private patient. If you are unsure, we recommend that you discuss the position with your specialist or your private health insurance fund before you receive any treatment. Please check with your health insurance fund for the extent of your insurance cover.

It is important for you to know that allocation of single rooms is based on clinical need. Single rooms can be requested only by private patients and will be allocated if available. However, the number of single rooms is limited, and we are often unable to meet this request. You may be moved out of your single room if the requirement of another patient, public or private, is more clinically urgent, or if you are transferred to another ward and no single room is available there.

If you would like more information about being admitted as a private patient, please contact the SCGH Private Patient Information Officer via the Switchboard, on 61 8 9346 3333 (or dial 91 from internal phones).

Pre Admission Clinic

This service is provided for patients and their family members who will be coming into the hospital for elective surgery or an elective procedure. At this clinic patients will have the opportunity to be assessed by the doctor, anaesthetist and the nurse in the clinic as well as other allied health staff such as the physiotherapist. By attending this clinic the doctors can determine if you need to come into hospital the night before surgery.

Day Of Surgery Admission (DOSA)

This service will be provided to patients who are coming in for surgery and will require an overnight stay in hospital, but who can come into hospital on the day of their surgery. When you visit the anaesthetist, a decision will be made whether this is possible. The surgeon and anaesthetist can visit you in this area before your surgery, if this is needed.

What To Bring

When you come into the hospital for an overnight stay please bring:

personal night wear including dressing gown and slippers;
personal toiletries;
all current medications.

Please DO NOT bring valuables such as jewellery as we cannot be responsible for these.

Arrival in the Ward

In the ward, you will be met by ward staff and details of the ward layout and services will be explained, including how to use the dial next to the bed.

A doctor will record your medical history and will conduct a physical examination. Please tell this doctor of any allergies you may have to antibiotics, other medications or foods and what medications you have been taking at home. Any medications brought with you should be handed to your nurse for storage during your stay.

Please ask your nurse if you would like a bed sign indicating special hearing or vision needs. A nurse will also visit you to take a nursing assessment.

If you wish to leave the ward at any time, please advise the nurse directly responsible for your nursing care.

Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any queries about your treatment, the hospital routine or facilities.

Visiting Hours

Visitors are welcome at the Hospital and are a recognised adjunct to a patient’s recovery. However, taking into account the health status and wishes of patients, visiting is subject at all times to the discretion of the nurse caring for the patient.

We suggest that short visits are best, with only one or two visitors at a time. Children under 12 years may visit at the nurse’s discretion.

Visiting is permitted between 8am and 8pm, but there is a rest period for patients between 1pm and 3pm.

Patient Enquiries

The Patient Enquiries number is 61 8 9346 4444.

We suggest that, if possible, you arrange for just one family member to ring for your condition, passing information to appropriate relatives and friends.

TTY contact can be made by accessing the number 61 8 9346 3900.

No Smoking

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital is a smoke free environment. Smoking is not permitted within the hospital.

Discharge

Your doctor will let you know when you are well enough to go home. We will endeavour to advise family or friends in advance so that transport and domestic arrangements can be made. Patients being discharged are generally expected to vacate their rooms by 11am, so please plan your transport home to meet this requirement. Your assistance in doing so will help avoid delays for people waiting to be admitted. Before leaving, you will be given a letter concerning your condition and your family doctor will be faxed a copy. Your copy is to show any doctors you see after leaving hospital. Please ensure the letter is always returned to you.

A follow up appointment may be necessary, either at the private rooms of your hospital consultant, or at the hospital’s Outpatient Department. If this is the case, you will be given an appointment card. If you are likely to have difficulty coming to hospital for an appointment, please explain this to your doctor when discussing your discharge arrangements. Please let the hospital know if you have to cancel an appointment for any reason. X-rays belong to patients and you should take any x-rays home when you are discharged.

Home Support Services

A variety of community support services is available to help you following your discharge from the hospital. If you have been receiving assistance at home from services such as Silver Chain or Meals on Wheels prior to your admission, please let the nursing staff on your ward know.

If you are concerned about your ability to manage at home following your discharge, please discuss this with the nursing staff. They will be able to refer you to appropriate services. Some patients may be assessed on the ward before their discharge by an Occupational Therapist.

A program run by Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital called Home Link may also be able to assist with your care after you return home. The program provides short-term home services such as domiciliary nursing and allied health. You may need special equipment or installations at home to assist with your recovery.

When necessary, a home visit will be organised to see what special equipment you will need. This will be discussed with you in detail before you go home.

Medications

Some drugs and medications required by patients in some special categories will be supplied by the hospital’s Pharmacy on discharge. However, in most instances where medications are required, you will be given a prescription to take to a community pharmacy.

Check with your hospital doctor that there will be no conflict between the drugs you already have and those you have just been given. Staff will advise you if a further prescription is needed, but if in doubt, please consult your doctor.

Fees and Accounts

If you are a private patient, you will be asked to sign the appropriate health insurance form authorising the hospital to send your account directly to your health insurance fund. Alternatively, an account can be sent to you at home. You may then pay the hospital directly, or send the account to your health insurance fund for settlement.

Private patients will also receive doctors’ accounts for medical services provided to them. These may be claimed from Medicare and your health insurance fund. Where scheduled fees are charged, the combined rebate from Medicare and the health fund covers the whole cost.

Charges for laboratory tests and x-rays are fully refundable from Medicare and your health insurance fund.

If you have any concerns about fees as a private patient, we suggest that you discuss them with your doctor.

No fees are charged to public patients except when they are certified as no longer requiring acute hospital care. (Patients who have been in hospital continuously for more than 35 days may be classified as Nursing Home Type if they no longer require acute hospital services.) Fees will be charged for patients with Nursing Home Type classification, and these fees are not fully covered by private health funds. We will let you know if you are placed in this category.

If you have any further queries, contact the hospital’s Patient Accounts Section on 61 8 9346 2237.

Private patients who contribute to a health fund “Share and Save” table will be required to pay a portion of their fees as per their private policy.

More information is avaliable here.

Discharge Against Advice

With few exceptions, such as in the case of infectious diseases, patients have the right to leave the hospital when they choose. However, to leave the hospital against medical advice would be a serious step and you will be asked to sign a “Discharge Against Medical Advice” form.

Personal Property

Please check your locker, wardrobe and bathroom before you leave and collect any personal property you have deposited with the Property Officer.

Services for people with a disability

The hospital provides a range of access and services for people with a disability. These include lifting aids; universal access; modified toilets; communication aids. ACROD parking is available in car parks 5, 7 and 1. A map is available on page 24.

For more specific details, please ask ward staff.