PATIENT INFO
ON THE DAY OF ADMISSION DO NOT (unless your Doctor gives you special instructions):
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- DO NOT eat or drink anything (food and fluid) for 6 hours prior to your admission time i.e. if your surgery is scheduled for the morning then do not eat or drink anything after midnight, if your surgery is scheduled for the afternoon then you may have a light breakfast and fluids up until 6 hours prior to your scheduled admission time.
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- DO NOT smoke cigarettes or chew gum. (Smoking is not permitted at Double Bay Day Hospital – the Hospital is a smoke-free environment).
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- DO NOT wear make-up or nail polish.
- DO NOT wear jewellery or bring valuables with you such as mobile phones or large amounts of cash. Double Bay Day Hospital will not be held responsible for the loss of such items. (A wedding ring and watch are permitted and it is suggested that a small receptacle such as a zippered purse or wallet be brought along in which to place such items).
DO ENSURE THAT YOU (Unless your Doctor gives you special instructions):
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- Shower on the day of admission before coming to Double Bay Day Hospital.
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- Wear garments that are comfortable and easy to remove.
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- Organise an escort to accompany you home after your surgery. It is advisable to have a responsible person remain overnight after your surgery as well. (If you are the primary caregiver for another person you should arrange for someone to take over these duties for 24 hours after your surgery). Your escort will need to collect you from the Recovery Room at the time of your discharge. We cannot admit patients to the facility without an escort or carer. (If you are unable to find an escort or carer you should contact our Administration Assistants who will give you a telephone number for a nursing agency who can collect you and take you home – this will incur a charge that is payable by you).
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- You should organise your transport arrangements prior to admission as you will be unable to drive for at least 24 hours post-surgery.
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- Take you usual medications with a sip of water. (Diabetic patients should not take their insulin or oral hypoglycaemics on the morning of surgery. Please bring these medications with you to be taken after your surgery).
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- Bring any X-Rays or test results that pertain to the surgery that you will be having with you on the day of admission.
- Check with the Admissions staff regarding your expected length of stay and expected discharge time. The Recovery Room staff will call your nominated escort once you have recovered from your surgery to advise them of your discharge time.If you have difficulty speaking or understanding English, and you do not have a relative available on the day of admission to accompany you, you can access interpreter services from the Sydney Local Health District Professional Interpreting Services at 9515 0030. This service can be utilised free of charge but must be arranged prior to your admission date.
On ARRIVAL You are requested to go to the reception desk on arrival at Double Bay Day Hospital. Our admission Staff will then collect any out-of-pocket expenses or Day Hospital fees payable on admission. You should leave valuables and large amounts of cash at home or give them to your escort as the facility does not accept responsibility for the care of valuables or cash.NURSING ADMISSION, The Admissions Nurse will take you through to the pre-operative area. The Nurse will confirm with your personal details, details of your procedure and confirm your signature/ (These details will be confirmed several times prior to your operation/procedure). The Nurse will record observations such as blood pressure, pulse, temperature and weight and will assist you to change into theatre clothing.
ANAESTHETIST You will have a consultation with your anaesthetist. The Doctor will explain the anaesthetic process, ask some questions and carry out a medical examination.
PROCEDURE ROOM OPERATING SUITE You will be taken into the operation theatre and introduced to the Theatre Staff who will be looking after you. There will be two to three Nurses and two Doctors (the Doctor performing the procedure and the Anaesthetist). The Anaesthetist will then put you to sleep, you will have your procedure and you will wake up in the Recovery Area.
DISCHARGE FROM THE DAY SURGERY The Recovery Nurse will contact your escort to pick you up from Recovery. Written and verbal Discharge Instructions will be given to you and your escort. This will include instructions regarding your post-operative appointment. We cannot admit patients to the facility without an escort or carer. (If you are unable to find an escort or carer you should contact our Administration Assistants who will give you a telephone number for a nursing agency who can collect you and take you home – this will incur a charge that is payable by you). If the patient is a child there should be one other responsible person to travel in the vehicle other than the primary carer.
FOLLOW-UP One of our nurses will call you at home over the first few days after surgery to ensure that all is well. Your doctor will be happy to help in any way they can. You will be given contact numbers to call if required.
DELAYS It is a fact of life that delays will occur in the best run establishments. There are many reasons for delays during an operating list. Every effort will be made to ensure that you are not inconvenienced while you are with us. If possible we will inform you if it is feasible to delay your departure from home, but this is not always possible. Please be aware that your surgery may cause unavoidable delays to those following you. Please allow a minimum of 3 to 4 hours for your stay at Double Bay Day Hospital. Larger operations will require a longer stay.
INTERPRETER If you have any problems understanding or speaking English, and you do not have a relative available to interpret for you, the Sydney Local Health District Professional Interpreting
Service have a free service you can utilise. The free call number is: 9515 0030. This service must be arranged prior to your admission date.
FEEDBACK You will be given a Patient Satisfaction Survey to complete, as an opportunity for you to provide feedback on your admission to Double Bay Day Hospital. The aim of our quality assurance program is to ensure that you receive the best possible care. Your comments and suggestions by way of postoperative Patient Satisfaction Survey help us to achieve this objective.
FEE FOR SURGERY: You will be verbally informed of the estimate of costs for your procedure (“Informed Financial Consent”) prior to your admission.
The fees charged by Double Bay Day Hospital are for the use of the operating theatre, a day-stay accommodation fee, and includes commonly used drugs and dressings. For some surgical procedures there will also be a charge for prostheses and disposables.
If you have Private Health Insurance, we will claim direct from your health fund on your behalf. If you have an excess or a gap with your level of cover, this will need to be paid on admission. If you have only Public Hospital (Basic) cover, this will cover only part of your accommodation providing you do not have an excess. We will get this information from your fund and advise you verbally of any out-of-pocket payments during your phone call the day prior to your admission.
If you do not have Private Health Insurance you will be asked to pay the account on admission, our staff will advise you of the cost during your phone call the day prior to your admission.
PLEASE NOTE: Your Surgeon, Anaesthetist, and any Pathology taken are billed separately to Double Bay Day Hospital. Details about these bills should come directly from their consulting rooms. You will receive separate accounts from your Specialist, Anaesthetist and Pathologist.
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE If you are not happy about any part of your treatment at Double Bay Day Hospital, please do not hesitate to speak to us. In most instances, your doctor, your anaesthetist, the nurse attending you or our administration assistants will be able to help you depending upon the nature of your complaint. If they are unable to resolve the matter, please ask to speak to the Director of Nursing. Alternatively, you may wish to express your complaint in writing.Please forward them to feedback@dbdh.com.auAll complaints will be handled with confidentiality and referred to the Safety and Quality Management Review Committee for consideration.After a thorough investigation you will receive a written reply.Any matter which is not resolved to your satisfaction may be taken to the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission on 1800 043 159 or at www.hccc.nsw.gov.au.
We aim to provide the highest quality care in a child friendly, safe environment, using state of the art technology. Every aspect of our practice has been specially designed for children and their families to create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
