We offer a range of shared and private rooms. Whilst every effort is made to arrange your preferred accommodation on the ward, this may not be available at the time of your admission or be clinically appropriate.

You are assured that we will make every effort to provide you with an appropriate room as soon as it becomes available.

If you have concerns regarding noise levels in your room or ward area you should notify the nurse caring for you for immediate explanation and assistance. Ear plugs are available upon request.

All rooms feature:

• A nurse call handset at each bed
• A Patient Care Board
• A television above each bed
• A telephone at each bed (local calls are complimentary). All telephones in the hospital have an ‘in-dial’ facility so that callers can dial in to your phone directly without having to go through the hospital's busy switchboard.

Admission or access to any of the services offered at John Fawkner Private Hospital is available via referral.

Your local GP, physician, surgeon or allied health professional will be able to assist you with obtaining a referral to a private specialist who is accredited at the hospital and who can organise your admission or enrolment into a program.

During your stay you will be under the direct care of this private specialist who will from time to time be assisted by other accredited private specialists or hospital staff.

Once your admission has been arranged you will be given an admission form to be completed and returned to the hospital at least 72 hours prior to your admission. Alternatively, you can submit your admission paperwork online via our eAdmissions registration.

The hospital will contact you prior to your day of admission either by phone or they may request that you make a brief visit to the hospital at a mutually convenient time.

Our staff will let you know what time to arrive, what items to bring with you and will be able to answer any questions or address any concerns that you may have about your stay with us.

On arrival, please visit our main reception staff.

Our discharge time is 10.00am daily.

The wellbeing and care of our patients is of the utmost importance to us. We aim to make your stay as comfortable as possible and to ensure your speedy recovery.

Please let us know if there is anything that we can do to improve your stay.

Patients can send and receive mail and faxes. Mail received after you leave will be forwarded to your home address.

Hudson's Coffee is located on level one and offers a delicious range of coffees, cold drinks, fresh muffins, sandwiches and snacks.

A hairdresser is available on request.

The hospital is able to provide interpreters on request.

John Fawkner Private Hospital is visited regularly by clergy from local churches.

Your doctor will inform you of your discharge date.

Our discharge time is between 9.00am and 10.00am daily.

You should arrange to be collected at 10.00am unless notified otherwise by your doctor or the nursing staff. Alternatively, reception staff can arrange a taxi for you if required and deemed to be appropriate by your doctor.

Please ensure that you collect all of your possessions when you leave the ward. Please also check with the nursing staff if you need to take any medications or x-rays with you when you leave.

When you are ready to leave the ward please advise the nurse or ward clerk who will complete your discharge documentation and arrange for a staff member or volunteer to escort you to the hospital entrance

Discharge arrangements

Before you leave hospital you will be informed of:

• Further care you require at home
• How to collect a supply (or prescriptions) of your continuing medication from Pharmacy
• Any follow-up appointments
• Collecting any x-rays or imaging tests performed
• How to finalise your account.

Your GP will receive a copy of the Nursing Discharge Summary and your medication profile once you have been discharged.

When you are discharged from the ward, a staff member will escort you to the Discharge Lounge or Main Reception to finalise any outstanding accounts.

Discharge planners

To ensure that you make the best possible recovery in the shortest possible time when you return home, discharge planners are available to assist you and your family or carer(s) with the process.

Discussions will focus on changes to your independence following your hospital stay.

This may include the organisation of aids or services to assist with your recovery at home such as equipment or ongoing care.

Patients are asked to leave valuables at home. If you inadvertently arrive with jewellery, large amounts of money or any other valuables, please ask family members to take them home. If this is not possible, please let the Nurse Unit Manager of your ward know so that valuables can be recorded and secured.

John Fawkner Private Hospital is recognised by all major health funds.

Please contact your health fund prior to admission to ensure that you do not have any restrictions to your cover, are financial and have served all applicable waiting periods.

Your health fund will also be able to advise you of any excess or co-payments that you may incur.

All out of pocket expenses will need to be paid prior to, or on admission. The following payment methods are accepted:

• Credit card (1.5% surcharge for Visa and MasterCard, 3% surcharge for AMEX)
• Cash
• Bank cheque or money order.

Prior approval will be sought for compensable patients i.e. WorkCover and some Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Patients with no private health insurance are also welcome at John Fawkner Private Hospital, please contact the hospital for an estimate of the cost of your procedure.

It is important to note that you may incur out-of-pocket expenses from any of the following during your stay:

• Emergency Department attendance
• Pharmacy
• Pathology
• Imaging or x-ray
• Surgeon, physician or anaesthetist.

Am I adequately covered for private hospital care?
We realise hospital and related charges can sometimes be difficult to understand, so please feel free to contact our Customer Service Assistant on 1300 760 466.

If you require major surgery, will be hospitalised for stay periods of three days or longer (i.e. joint replacements, spinal surgery or thoracic surgery), or are nervous about your surgery, you may be asked to book an appointment at our Preadmission Clinic.

The purpose of the appointment is to assess your fitness for surgery and anaesthesia, to streamline your admission and to provide you with the best possible preparation for your surgery.

Your appointment may include:

• A comprehensive nursing assessment
• ECG, blood pressure, temperature
• Education relating to pre-surgery and post-surgery procedures
• Discharge and after-care equipment arrangements
• Completion of admission forms
• Blood tests and x-rays may also be arranged.

What to bring

• The completed forms that your surgeon has given you, including your signed surgical consent form
• A list of any previous operations that you have undergone and your current and previous illnesses
• Any forms required for blood tests and x-rays that may need to be arranged.

Location

Our Preadmission Clinic is located in our Consulting Suites building:

Level 1
267 Moreland Road
Coburg VIC 3058

There are a number of support services available within hospital to assist you and your family during your admission.

These include:

• Cancer support programs
• Cardiac Rehabilitation program
• Chaplaincy services
• Diabetes educator
• Dietitian
• Discharge planning
• Interpreter service
• Physiotherapy
• Speech pathology
• Stomal therapy
• Wound consultant

Our hospital has a Tier 1 status with the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and a dedicated DVA Liaison Officer is available to provide resources and support to Veterans admitted to the Hospital.

DVA patients are covered for their hospital stay in shared accommodation only, however you may request a private room at your own cost.

Documentation

Fully completed hospital forms and any letters or reports from your doctor

• Health insurance membership details
• Medicare card
• Pension card*
• Ambulance membership card / number
• Health care card*
• Prescription record card*
• Pharmaceutical entitlement card*
• Safety net card*
• Department of Veterans' Affairs card*
• Workers compensation approval letter*.

* If applicable.

Current medications

Please bring all of your current medications in the original packaging or dosette boxes i.e. pills, tablets, inhalers, injections, ointments, creams, vitamins or homeopathic medicines.

Other items

• Any of your relevant x-rays, scan, ultrasound films or MRIs
• Personal nightwear including slippers
• Toiletries if staying overnight i.e. soap, shampoo, toothpaste
• Shoes with non-slip soles and low heels
• Books, magazines, laptops, iPads, iPods etc.
• Spectacles / hearing aids.

The hospital does not assume responsibility for personal items. You are responsible for their safe storage.

We also request that you do not bring valuables such as jewellery or large amounts of cash.

A free internet service is available for our patients and their guests while in hospital.

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