Southbank Day Surgery

Preparing for your hospital visit

• Patient admission forms and information brochures

  If you have any questions about your admission, please contact our friendly hospital staff on 08 9368 7344, who can answer any questions you may have about your hospital visit.

  Please complete your admission form by clicking on the Online Admission button provided below. We ask you to complete this at least 7 days prior to your admission so that we have sufficient time to prepare for your hospital visit.

  A copy of our Patient Information Brochure can be also be downloaded below.

  Please read through this information properly in preparation for your surgery.

  Online Admissions Patient Information - General Patient Information - Dermatology
• Before your surgery

  What you need to do:

  • It is a requirement on discharge that you have a responsible carer to accompany you home after your procedure and stay with you overnight. Please contact the hospital if you have any questions regarding this. If you are unable to make this arrangement, your procedure may be cancelled.
  • Commence fasting at the time advised by your doctor. When the fasting period begins, you must not chew, eat or drink anything. If you have any questions about how you should take your regular medications, please contact your referring doctor
  • Please contact your doctor prior to surgery if your health has deteriorated, as we may need to postpone the procedure until you’re feeling better

  Remember: for 24 hours after an anaesthetic, you will not be able to:

  • Drive a vehicle
  • Drink alcohol
  • Operate machinery
  • Make important decisions
  • Sign legal documents
• What to bring
  • Your Medicare card, and where relevant your Health Insurance membership card, Veterans’ Affairs card and Pensioner Concession card
  • Any medications you are currently taking (or a medication chart if coming from a care facility)
  • Advanced care directives if applicable
  • Any recent and relevant X-rays, scans and test results
  • Wear loose comfortable clothing
  • Power of Attorney, Enduring Guardianship and Advance Care Directive documentation (if applicable)
• What not to bring
  • Please leave all valuables at home
  • Please do not wear make-up, nail polish or jewellery
• Children's surgery

  It’s natural to feel anxious if your child is undergoing surgery, and we will do everything we can to make your family comfortable and relaxed. It’s a good idea to bring:

  • Their pyjamas
  • A favourite toy, story book or activity
  • A change of clothes and underwear

  Southbank Day Surgery carries out 30% of paediatric surgeries in Western Australia and has a dedicated paediatric recovery area, so you can be assured that your child is in safe hands. We will invite one parent or carer into the recovery room to be with your child after surgery. Only you know who the right person is, so please consider this carefully.

  Please click on the button below to learn more about what you and your child can expect during your visit.

  Information for Parents
• Fasting

  It is important to avoid eating or drinking prior to undergoing an anaesthetic in order to protect your airways during surgery. Your Doctor or Anaesthetist will advise you when your fasting period should begin.

  We will give you a snack and light refreshment in the recovery area after your surgery.

• Medications

  Ask your doctor whether you should take your prescribed medications on the morning of your procedure. If you are taking diabetes and blood thinning medication, please discuss with your Anaesthetist.

• Smoking

  Do not smoke on the day of your procedure.

• Getting here and parking

  There is ample free parking on site.

• Admission

  On your day of surgery, please proceed to our reception area, and let our friendly staff know you have arrived. We respect your time, and as we guide you through the admission process you will have the opportunity to discuss any concerns you or your carer may have.

  We will confirm your name, date of birth, admitting details and doctor. These standard identification procedures will be repeated throughout the day to ensure your safety.

  Remember: you’ll need to pay any out of pocket expenses at the time of your admission.

• Billing & health insurance

  If you have private health insurance, we will check your level of cover and inform you of any excess or out of pocket amount that is payable prior to admission. It’s a good idea to contact your private health fund to check any exclusions or restrictions on specific treatments. They can answer any questions, and may be able to upgrade your policy if needed.

  If you do not have private health insurance, you will be required to pay the full amount for your private hospital admission. There is no rebate from Medicare for private hospital charges.

  You may also receive separate accounts from your surgeon, surgeon assistant and anaesthetist for their services related to your treatment.

  Third party claims

  If you are a Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) patient, we will lodge a claim with the DVA for you. If your surgery is part of a WorkCover or Third Party (TAC) claim, you will need to make the full payment (apart from ancillary charges) on admission – unless we have received written approval for admission from WorkCover or TAC.

  Making payments

  Before your surgery we will advise you of any out of pocket expenses relating to your hospital admission. These out of pocket expenses will need to be paid on admission prior to your surgery by Visa, MasterCard or EFTPOS. Please note we do not accept personal or business cheques.

  Questions to ask your private health insurer

  Before you have surgery, please contact your private health insurer and check whether you are covered for surgery. We have provided a guide to the questions you should ask.

  It is your responsibility to confirm your level of cover with your health insurance fund (including excess, co-payments, exclusions and other related policy costs) before you are admitted to our day surgery.

  Please ask your health fund to provide you with a statement regarding each of the following:

  1. The rate of reimbursement for each of the expected charges for the specific insurance policy you hold
  2. Whether yourplanned procedure or operation is within a waiting or exclusion period for your policy
  3. Whether your admission or treatment is covered under your health fund’s no gap or gap cover scheme.

  You may incur out of pocket costs from your Doctor, Surgeon, Anaesthetist and/or Pathologist, or from other health practitioners associated with your care. It is important that you check for any out of pocket costs with these practitioners directly, as we areunable to provide any advice on this.

  Am I covered?
• After your surgery

  You must have a responsible adult to collect you from Southbank Day Surgery, and stay with you for 24 hours. It’s important that your carer remains contactable at all times during your surgery. We will call them approximately 30 minutes before you’re discharged. Depending on your individual needs, your carer may be asked to remain in the hospital for the duration of your admission. We also have a dedicated paediatric recovery area.

  We’ll give you and your carer your detailed discharge instructions. Please follow these to ensure the best outcome from your procedure. Your doctor or anaesthetist will advise you on any post-operative medications required.

  Preventing falls

  After your procedure and anaesthetic you may be at risk of falling or tripping. Take care when moving around and we encourage you to rest and let your carer assist you for the remainder of the day.

  Nausea

  This is less common with modern anaesthetics. If it does occur, it should only be temporary. If nausea persists, avoid food but maintain fluids. If it does not resolve within 24 hours, it is important that you contact your doctor.

  Sore throat

  This may occur due to your anaesthetist assisting with your breathing. It usually disappears within 24 hours. Simple pain relief may help relieve this.

  Tender arm or hand at injection site

  This may occur due to irritation of the vein or slight bruising from the needle or the drugs injected, and can persist for several days. If your arm or hand look red or inflamed consult your doctor and notify Southbank Day Surgery.

  Infection

  Please notify the Director of Nursing at Southbank Day Surgery should any redness, swelling, pain or discharge be noticed from your wound – or if you visit a doctor and are prescribed antibiotics for an associated infection within 30 days of your procedure.

  Hand hygiene

  We advise patients and carers to wash hands prior to attending wound care or administering eye drops (as per doctor’s instructions).

• Privacy

  As a patient of Southbank Day Surgery, your privacy and dignity will be maintained at all times. We hold medical records relating to your treatment, and the content of these records will only be divulged with your consent or where permitted or authorised by law.

  We will handle your personal information in accordance with the Nexus Privacy Policy which you can download here, together with some more information on the Australian Privacy Principles.

  For more information about patient privacy, please contact us at admin@southbankdaysurgery.com.au.

  Privacy Policy Australian Privacy Principles Fact Sheet
• Quality & Safety

  Southbank Day Surgery strictly follows all statutory and relevant body guidelines and Australian Standards. We work hard to provide both a supportive environment and the highest level of care for our patients and staff.

  We work together under the management of our General Manager/Director of Nursing and Medical Advisory Committee (MAC).

  Patient feedback and quality of care

  We never stop caring about patient care. That’s why we continually monitor and assess everything we do, so we can improve the quality of care we provide. Patient feedback plays a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the quality of care provided at Southbank Day Surgery. By actively listening to our patients, we gain valuable insights into their experiences, allowing us to make informed decisions about how to improve our services. Our quality outcomes are reviewed by our MAC before being made available for consumer feedback.

  We encourage patients to confidentially share their thoughts through a post-operative survey sent via email, while guests and visitors can easily provide feedback through our website. This continuous process of collecting and reviewing feedback ensures that we remain responsive to the needs and expectations of our patients, aligning with the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.

  One of the key metrics we use to gauge patient satisfaction is the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The NPS is a simple way to measure how happy our patients are with the care they receive. At Southbank Day Surgery, patients are asked: “How likely are you to recommend our hospital to friends and family if they need similar care or treatment?”

  Patients answer this on a scale from 0 to 10, with:

  • 10 being ‘extremely likely’ and
  • 0 being ‘not likely at all’

  Scores of:

  • 9 or 10 are considered ‘promoters’ (very happy patients)
  • 7 or 8 are ‘passives’ (neutral), and
  • anything below 7 is a ‘detractor’ (unhappy patients)

  The NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. According to global NPS standards, an NPS score above 70 is considered very high and shows the service is world-class. From July to September 2024, Southbank Day Surgery achieved a Net Promoter Score of 77.

  Some of the more detailed results from patient feedback during this period revealed:

  • 97% of surveyed patients expressed satisfaction with the quality of care received
  • 96% praised our staff’s communication
  • 97% felt safe whilst in our care

  These results highlight the effectiveness of our efforts and provide us with a clear direction for further enhancing our services.

  Workforce checks

  To make sure we offer the highest possible standard of comfort and care, our specialist clinical staff have their credentials and abilities assessed annually.

  Clinical handover

  To make sure nothing is missed, our systems ensure seamless continuity in the event your care is transferred from one person to another. This includes discharge instructions to patients and/or carers.

  Infection prevention & control

  Southbank Day Surgery follows strict infection control procedures. Our staff take every precaution to prevent infections and our antibiotic usage is monitored against best practice. As most patients are discharged the same day, we try to get feedback from your specialist or GP if any infections occur. We encourage you to contact us directly if you have any concerns regarding this.

  Southbank Day Surgery employs a variety of strategies to prevent infections. These include:

  • auditing how often and how well staff wash their hands using soap and water or hand sanitiser
  • using gloves and specialised sterile equipment
  • using specialised disinfectants when cleaning facilities
  • following national guidelines for high-level disinfection and sterilisation processes
  • placing hand sanitiser dispensers in public areas throughout our hospital so that they are readily accessible to staff, patients and visitors.

  What can you do to help prevent infection?

  At Southbank Day Surgery, patients and visitors are part of the healthcare team. There are several things you can do to reduce the risk of infection for yourself and others:

  • Wash your hands carefully with soap and water or use hand sanitiser upon entering and leaving the hospital. This is the most important way you can prevent the spread of infection.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands afterwards – every time!
  • If you do not have a tissue available, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not into your hand.
  • As a patient, report any infection you have had, especially if you are still on antibiotics.
  • Make sure you take the full course of antibiotics you have been given, even if you are feeling better.
  • If you have a dressing for a wound, keep the skin around the dressing clean and dry. Let the healthcare worker looking after you know promptly if it becomes loose or wet.
  • Tell your healthcare worker if the area around any drips, tubes or drains inserted into your body becomes red, swollen or painful.
  • Let the healthcare worker looking after you know if the equipment has not been cleaned properly.
  • Stop smoking before any surgery or procedure, as smoking increases the risk of infection.

  Infection Prevention Results from July to September 2024

  During the last reporting period, Southbank Day Surgery provided care to 2871 patients. Through the diligent efforts of our doctors, staff, patients and visitors, we are proud to report zero post-surgical infections during this time.

  Hand hygiene

  Southbank Day Surgery is committed to the Hand Hygiene Australia program. We conduct regular audits to ensure compliance throughout our facility.

  Hand Hygiene is another name for hand washing or cleaning. Good hand hygiene is an important part of infection control. Germs can survive on unwashed hands for over an hour, and we can unknowingly transmit bacteria and viruses to others.

  All our staff are required to frequently wash their hands with soap and water or with waterless hand sanitiser. Both are equally effective. We follow the World Health Organisation’s guidelines for hand hygiene, which specify the following times when healthcare staff must wash their hands:

  • before touching a patient
  • after touching a patient
  • before a procedure
  • after a procedure
  • after touching a patient’s belongings or surroundings

  At Southbank Day Surgery, we use auditors who are accredited by Hand Hygiene Australia to record whether hand hygiene has been performed correctly at our hospital.

  Learn more about this program here.

  Falls within the hospital

  Patient falls are a leading cause of hospital-acquired injury and often prolong or complicate hospital stays. Patients may experience a fall because they are weakened by a medical condition or after an accident or surgery.

  During July to September 2024, our hospital cared for 2871 patients. We are delighted to report no patients fell during this time.

  Pressure injuries

  Commonly known as bed sores, pressure injuries are areas of skin damage caused by prolonged pressure. They can range in severity from an area of reddened skin to ulcers with underlying tissue damage.

  Pressure injuries can sometimes occur when a patient remains in one position for a long period. Certain people are at increased risk of developing pressure injuries, such as the elderly, people who are bed-bound or have poor mobility, and people with chronic conditions like diabetes. These are most common on hips, tail bones, heels or other bony areas of the body.

  We have a range of approaches to treat and prevent pressure injuries, and our target is always to have zero pressure injuries.

  Unexpected Returns to Theatre

  An unexpected return to the operating theatre is a serious event that may occur if complications arise after surgery. This can happen for various reasons, including infections, bleeding, or other unforeseen issues. At Southbank Day Surgery, we have processes in place to mitigate this risk and deliver a high standard of care. From July to September 2024, we cared for many patients, none of whom returned to theatre unexpectedly.

  Medication Safety

  Safe medication management is important to us at Southbank Day Surgery. There are many systems in use throughout the hospital to support and promote safety in supplying and administering medications and monitoring their effects.

  Staff at Southbank Day Surgery follow strict guidelines to ensure that all medications are administered appropriately and accurately. We adhere to the 7 Rights of Medication Administration:

  • The Right Person
  • The Right Documentation and Clinical Context
  • The Right Drug
  • The Right Dose
  • The Right Date/Time
  • The Right Route
  • The Right to Uninterrupted Medication Administration

  Should errors in medication administration occur, they are captured in our hospital’s incident reporting system and investigated. There were two medication errors at our hospital for the last reporting period, neither of which resulted in any harm.

  Consumer Involvement

  We want to hear from you!

  With patients like you at the centre of our care model, we welcome your participation in reviewing our Quality & Safety reports. Please provide feedback on how we can continue to improve.

  Contact our General Manager/Director of Nursing at admin@southbankdaysurgery.com.au

  Open Disclosure

  At Southbank Day Surgery, we are dedicated to ensuring transparency and trust through our Open Disclosure process. Open Disclosure involves clear and honest communication about any incidents that might cause concern during your treatment. It’s important to know that most issues in healthcare that don’t go as planned are minor and are often identified and addressed before they impact you.

  In cases where something small doesn’t go to plan, your doctor or nurse will inform you about what happened and how it was managed, just as they would discuss other aspects of your care. If a more serious incident occurs, we will inform you as soon as possible and arrange an Open Disclosure meeting to thoroughly discuss the situation. This process includes explaining what went wrong, why it happened, expressing our regret, and providing the necessary support.

  Our goal is to keep you fully informed and supported, addressing any concerns and working with you to improve our services. If you believe a serious incident has occurred that has not been acknowledged, please speak with your doctor, nurse or other healthcare staff, as we value your feedback in enhancing our care.

  Please click on the button below for more information on Open Disclosure.

  Nexus Quality and Safety Policy Open Disclosure fact sheet
• Our commitment to child safety

  We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, and this is entrenched in the way we train our staff and volunteers.

  We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.

  We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously, and consistent with our robust child safety policies and procedures.

  We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.

  Our organisation is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early and removing and reducing these risks.

  Our organisation has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.

  Our organisations are committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.

  We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.

  We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.

  We have specific policies, procedures and training in place that support our leadership team, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.

  If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.

  Please contact our Director of Nursing via the button below if you wish to view the full policy.

  Contact us
• Complaints, concerns and feedback

  We value your thoughts and suggestions. If you have any feedback about your experience at Southbank Day Surgery, please complete the online patient survey below.

  If you’d like to make a formal complaint, please contact our CEO Angela Arnold, via email on admin@southbankdaysurgery.com.au

  If your complaint is unresolved, you can contact:

  Department of Health

  PO Box 8172
  Perth Business Centre
  Perth WA 6849

  Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO)

  PO Box B61
  Perth WA 6838

  Phone: (08) 6551 7600

  Feedback form