Preparing for your hospital visit
Your doctor will arrange the date of your admission and provide you with information regarding the admission process. You will be provided either with a hard copy of our admission form, or with a QR code that will link you to our online admission portal. Please complete the admission information as soon as you can prior to your surgery so that we can register your details, confirm your place on the operating theatre list, and check your health fund status. If you are completing a hard copy of the admission form, please ensure this is returned to the hospital at least seven days prior to your surgery. If there is insufficient time to ensure it will arrive by post, you can email the form to us at the address provided on the front of the form, or you can drop it off in person at our main reception.
It is essential these forms are sent to the hospital before your procedure, so that we can plan your care. If we have any queries regarding your admission, we will give you a call. If you have any out of pocket expenses, we will send you an SMS the day before surgery, confirming the amount that you’ll be expected to pay at admission.
Please read through the information below and watch this video to properly prepare for your surgery.
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The Tennyson Way
The Tennyson Way is the philosophy that underpins everything we do at Tennyson Centre Day Hospital. When we planned the hospital, we aimed to create a positive, patient-centred culture amongst staff and visiting doctors, and over the years this has become part of everything we do, every single day.
The principles of The Tennyson Way are:
- A ‘can do’ attitude
- Being supportive, caring and respectful to everyone we encounter
- Having fun while getting the job done
- Focusing on strong patient service
As a result, you’ll find our staff are friendly, welcoming, helpful and professional. You can expect a high standard of medical and nursing care, performed efficiently – and with your needs as the sole focus.
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Before your surgery
What you need to do:
- Arrange for a responsible adult to accompany you to the hospital, drive you home and stay with you for 24 hours after your surgery. If you fail to make this arrangement, your procedure may be cancelled. If you are having difficulty finding someone to be with you on the day, please discuss your options with our staff or your doctor.
- Commence fasting at the time advised by your referring doctor. When the fasting period begins, you must not eat or drink anything. You may take your regularly prescribed medications with a small sip of water (unless ordered otherwise).
- 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
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
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What to bring
- Your Medicare card, and where applicable, your Health Insurance membership card, Veterans’ Affairs card or Pensioner Concession card
- Any medications you are currently taking
- Any recent and relevant X-rays, scans and test results
- Power of Attorney documentation (if applicable)
- Advanced Care Directive (if applicable)
- A light dressing gown (optional)
It’s also important to wear loose comfortable clothing.
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What not to bring
- Please leave all valuables at home
- Do not wear make-up, nail polish, perfume or jewellery
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Fasting
You will need to avoid eating or drinking anything for a specific period of time prior to your procedure. It’s important not to eat or drink anything for a specified period of time before an anaesthetic for safety reasons, as this will protect your airway and lungs while you are asleep.
Your doctor will let you know when your fasting period should begin, and you must follow it strictly for safety reasons. You can have a very small amount of clear fluids (such as water) until two hours before surgery, but do not chew gum, eat lollies or have any milk-based drinks.
We will give you a snack and fluids after your surgery, when you are in the recovery room.
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Medications
Ask your doctor whether you should take your usual prescribed medications on the morning of your procedure. You can take them with a sip of water if fasting.
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Smoking
Tennyson Centre Day Hospital is a smoke-free environment. Do not smoke on the day of your procedure.
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Getting here and parking
We are located on South Road, Kurralta Park, just north of the Gallipoli Underpass. There is ample free parking on site, and two hour parking in the surrounding side streets.
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Admission
When you arrive on your day of surgery, please report to the reception desk where our staff will guide you through the admission process. A nurse will consult with you privately to check your blood pressure, go through your health questionnaire and confirm your name, date of birth and doctor. These standard identification procedures will be repeated throughout the day to ensure your safety.
You’ll then be introduced to your anaesthetist, and may be asked to change into a hospital gown.
Remember: you’ll need to pay any out of pocket expenses at the time of your admission.
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After your surgery
You must have a responsible adult to collect you from Tennyson Centre Day Hospital, and stay with you overnight. We will let your carer know your approximate discharge time, and call them 30 minutes before it’s time for you to leave. We’ll also give them your detailed discharge instructions, which will include the date and time of your post-operative appointment with your surgeon where applicable.
It is important you follow these instructions to ensure the best outcome from your procedure. Your doctor or anaesthetist may give you a prescription for any pain relief and/or antibiotics if required after surgery, and following ophthalmic surgery you will be given eye drop medication on discharge.
One of our nurses will call you the next business day after your surgery to check how you are recovering. We recognise that you may have gone about your usual routine, and if we miss you, you are welcome to ring us if you have any questions and think you may have missed the call. If you are experiencing problems after your procedure, please contact your doctor.
Preventing falls
Coming into hospital increases the risk of falling or tripping as you are in an unfamiliar environment, may be nervous and may be given Anaesthetic drugs. . Take care when moving around and we encourage you to rest and let your carer assist you for the remainder of the day. If you use any walking aides please bring them into hospital with you.
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 Tennyson Centre Day Hospital.
Infection
Please notify the Director of Nursing at Tennyson Centre Day Hospital 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).
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Billing and private health insurance
If you have private health insurance, we will check your level of cover and inform you of any excess amount that will be payable on the day prior to admission.
Before you are admitted, any outstanding amount not covered by your health fund (co-payment or excess) will need to be paid. We can take pre-payment by credit card over the phone during your pre-admission call if you prefer. On the day, you can pay via credit card, EFTPOS or cash. Please note we do not accept American Express, Diners Club or personal cheques.
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 day surgery admission. There is no rebate from Medicare for day surgery charges.
You will also receive a separate account from the surgeon and anaesthetist for their services.
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 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 Third Party claimant.
Questions to ask your private health insurer
Before you have surgery, we recommend you contact your private health insurer and check whether you are covered for surgery. We have provided a guide to the questions you should ask.
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Privacy
As a patient of Tennyson Centre Day Hospital, 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 Australian Privacy Principles and legislation that governs how hospitals handle your personal and health information. For more information, read our Patient Information & Pre-Admission Booklet, and download tthe Australian Privacy Principles fact sheet.
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Quality & Safety
Tennyson Centre Day Hospital 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 Tennyson Centre Day Hospital. 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 Tennyson Centre Day Hospital, 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, Tennyson Centre Day Hospital achieved a Net Promoter Score of 87.
Some of the more detailed results from patient feedback during this period revealed:
- 99% of surveyed patients expressed satisfaction with the quality of care received
- 98% praised our staff’s communication
- 99% 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
Tennyson Centre Day Hospital 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.
Tennyson Centre Day Hospital 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 Tennyson Centre Day Hospital, 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, Tennyson Centre Day Hospital provided care to 2462 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
Tennyson Centre Day Hospital 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 Tennyson Centre Day Hospital, 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 2462 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 Tennyson Centre Day Hospital, 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, four of whom returned to theatre unexpectedly for further surgery. Importantly, none of these unexpected returns to theatre resulted in harm. Our hospital remains dedicated to reviewing and improving our strategies to minimise returns to theatre.
Medication Safety
Safe medication management is important to us at Tennyson Centre Day Hospital. 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 Tennyson Centre Day Hospital 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 was one medication error at our hospital for the last reporting period.
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 reception@tennysondh.com.au
Open Disclosure
At Tennyson Centre Day Hospital, 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.
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Complaints, concerns and feedback
We value your thoughts and suggestions. If you have any feedback about your experience at Tennyson Centre Day Hospital, please complete the online patient survey below.
You can also email us at reception@tennysondh.com.au. If you would like to make a formal complaint, please give us a call on (08) 8292 2331.
Frequently asked questions
You are welcome to get in touch with any specific questions you have. But here are some answers to common queries.
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Do I need to arrive earlier than my set admission time?
Not if you don’t want to. We allow time for the pre-admissions process when we set your time, and your surgery will go ahead as soon as the admissions process is complete. Please remember: reception is not open until 6:30am, and arriving earlier than your admission time will not bring forward your procedure.
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How long will I be at the hospital for?
Typically, three to four hours from the time of your admission.
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Why do I have to fast?
It’s important not to eat or drink anything for a specified period of time before an anaesthetic for safety reasons, as this will protect your airway and lungs while you are asleep.
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Why do I need a responsible adult to collect and stay with me?
Because you are having sedation for your procedure, you need someone with you after you are discharged to make sure there are no unexpected complications from your procedure or anaesthetic. You are also not legally allowed to drive for 24 hours following an anaesthetic.
Our nursing staff will meet with your designated carer before we send you home, and go through written instructions for your wellbeing when you go home. This includes advice about eating and drinking, pain relief, and when you can resume normal activities.
If you do not have a designated carer to collect you, we will have to cancel your surgery. Please let us know if you have any concerns about this policy, and contact the hospital if you are having any difficulty finding a carer
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Why do I have to remove my jewellery and nail polish before surgery?
This is for your own safety. There is a risk of surgical burns with metal jewellery, including piercings. If you wish to leave your wedding ring on, we will tape it.
During surgery, your oxygen levels will be monitored with a probe placed on your finger and nail polish and acrylic nails can interfere with this.
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Will I see my doctor after my procedure?
Your doctor will usually see you before you leave. If you have a post-op appointment scheduled shortly after your surgery, they may wait to discuss your procedure then.
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Why do I have to pay an excess? I already paid my account to the doctor.
The account you paid to your doctor was for their services only, and is separate to your surgery. The excess you are required to pay to the hospital is the amount you elected to pay to reduce your Health Insurance premium costs. We’ve checked this with your health fund.
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Will I have something to eat after my procedure, as I had to fast before it?
Yes! Our lovely nurses will bring you a fresh sandwich and a cup of tea or coffee while you are in second stage recovery. Please let us know of any food allergies or intolerances during your admissions process.
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Will you call my relative or carer to collect me after my procedure?
Of course. The nurses will call your carer approximately 30 minutes prior to your discharge.
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I am coming back in a month for another procedure. Do I have to fill out another Admission Form?
If your next procedure is within three months of this one, we can re-use your existing admissions form. However, we will ask you to double-check the information provided is still current.
