Patient Information

This information will assist patients with what they need to know prior to admission.

Completing your Consent Form, Admission Form and Health Questionnaire

Please complete the three forms given to you by your specialist and deliver, post, fax or email them to us to arrive at least 7-10 working days prior to your admission. If this is not possible, e.g. if your admission is urgent or has been arranged at short notice, then please bring the completed forms with you on admission.

Deliver or Post

Royston Hospital, 500 Southland Road, Hastings 4122

Fax

(06) 873 1189

Email

hospital@royston.co.nz

IMPORTANT: please note

If you have a pre-anaesthetic clinic appointment with your anaesthetist, please take the completed Consent Form and Health Questionnaire with you.

Should you require, these 3 forms are attached below:
Royston Consent Form
Royston Admission Form
Royston Health Questionnaire

Patients may also be given a Nursing Assessment Questionnaire to complete. Please bring this with you on admission or return to Royston with your other forms.

PHONE US

Cost Estimates

Please phone us as soon as possible to obtain cost estimates so that you can notify your insurance company or make the necessary financial arrangements to pay your hospital account. At this time you will be able to discuss your accommodation preference (suite, private room or shared room). Day Surgery patients do not have a private room unless this is specifically requested by you, in which case our normal daily room rate would apply.
(Refer to more information on Cost Estimates below).

Admission Time

Your specialist will have given you a date for surgery and possibly even an admission time. Please phone the hospital receptionist on (06) 873 1111 between 12noon and 6pm the day before your surgery to confirm your admission time. If your surgery is on a Monday or following a public holiday, please call our receptionist on the last working day. If your admission time is between 7am and 8am, we will call you to confirm your personal details so that your hospital documentation is ready for the nursing staff. Your specialist will have also given to you a Patient Pre-admission brochure which includes important information that you should read prior to your admission. This includes:

Eating & Drinking before your anaesthetic

Prior to coming to hospital

If there have been any recent changes in your health please ensure that your anaesthetist, surgeon or Royston nursing staff is advised at the earliest opportunity. For example, if you develop a cold, flu, infection, vomiting, diarrhoea, laceration or breakdown of skin, or suffer an asthma attack prior to your admission to hospital you should let one of the above know as soon as possible, as it may be necessary to postpone your operation.

If you have been employed in a clinical care role or have been admitted to any other hospital in New Zealand or overseas in the 6 months preceding your admission to
Royston, pre-admission laboratory screening will need to be carried out. If your specialist has not already discussed this with you, please phone your specialist’s private rooms or Royston Hospital nursing staff at the earliest opportunity.

The day of your surgery

Please shower and wash your hair prior to admission, particularly if you expect to be unable to do this for a few days after your operation. (We recommend that you do not have your hair permed or set immediately before coming into hospital for major surgery.)

Please remove all make-up, nail polish, body piercings and jewellery prior to admission and do not apply moisturisers or hair gel.

If applicable, please leave your medic alert bracelet/pendant on.

Please bring with you

Your completed Health Questionnaire and Request for Treatment Form if given to you by your specialist.

X-rays and scans relevant to your surgery.

All your usual medications in their original containers – please refer to the important ‘medications’ information below.

Your medical insurance company’s letter of prior approval.

Glasses and physical aids (walking sticks, hearing aids, etc).

Comfortable clothing and footwear.

It is a good idea for children to bring their favourite toy or blanket.

Transport

Please allow yourself plenty of time to get to the hospital. It is always better to be early rather than late and you will feel more relaxed. However, if unavoidable circumstances delay your arrival, please telephone us.

Please make arrangements for transport home after your surgery. You will not be able to drive or operate machinery for 24 hours following a general anaesthetic.

Medications

Discuss with your specialist any regular medications you are taking, and bring all your usual medications to hospital with you. If you are an inpatient, a detailed list from your general practitioner will help your doctors chart the correct medications for you.

Patients on anticoagulants need to take special care:

Anticoagulants (eg, Warfarin, Plavix, Persantin) should not be taken prior to surgery without consulting your specialist.

Aspirin or Disprin is usually, but not always, discontinued in the week prior to surgery. Please check with your specialist.

Failure to stop taking your anticoagulant medications as advised could result in your surgery being postponed.

Alcohol, cigarettes and drugs

We recommend that you avoid alcohol, cigarettes and drugs (other than your prescribed drugs) during the 24 hours prior to your admission.

ADMISSION

On arrival at Royston Hospital please go to the Admissions Lounge and advise the receptionist that you are reporting for surgery. The receptionist will check your documentation.

You will be met by the admitting nurse who will discuss the admission process with you, including any relevant medical information. As part of your preparation you will be asked to put on a theatre gown. Depending on the nature of your surgery, shaving around your operation site may be necessary. If you have not had a prior assessment, your anaesthetist will take a brief medical history.

If you are a day surgery patient you may request a private room (subject to availability) and our normal daily room rate will apply. Please feel free to discuss this option with us when you phone us for a cost estimate.

If you are an inpatient and prefer to be admitted directly to your room in the ward, please discuss this with your specialist prior to admission.

Please note:
If your admission time is between 7am and 8am, there may not be reception staff on duty when you arrive, so please go directly to the reception desk and press the grey and white ‘bell’ button once, and then take a seat. Your nurse will come out to greet you as soon as possible.

After Surgery

Inpatients and Day Case patients

You will be transferred from the recovery unit to your private room as soon as your condition allows. For your own safety, please ensure that a nurse is present when you first get out of bed.

Day Surgery patients

As soon as your condition allows, you will be transferred from the recovery unit to the ‘second-stage’ recovery area where you will relax in a ‘la-z-boy’ chair until you are ready for discharge. Food and fluids will be provided.

In some circumstances following surgery, it may be necessary to transfer a day surgery patient to the ward for ongoing monitoring. If this is the case, an accommodation fee will be charged.

Accompanying your child to the operating theatre

In order to reduce separation anxiety in children over the age of 12 months, a parent or caregiver may stay with their child while the child is anaesthetised, provided that both the surgeon and the anaesthetist agree. If you choose to do this you will be asked to change into appropriate hospital-supplied clothes.

Once your child is anaesthetised you will be shown out of the theatre area and back to your child’s room or waiting area.

You are welcome to make use of the tea and coffee-making facility available in the reception foyer while you wait.

You should not feel in any way pressured to go into theatre. We realise that parents or caregivers need to feel comfortable about going in, and children do often cope remarkably well with just the theatre nurses and doctors. As an alternative, parents or caregivers may accompany their child into the reception area of theatre without getting changed.

DISCHARGE

The discharge process is important because it ensures that your care is formally transferred from the hospital to your specialist and/or general practitioner.

Your specialist, in consultation with you and the nursing staff, will decide when you are ready for discharge.

Your nurse will be happy to assist you in arranging community services in preparation for your discharge. These services may include district nursing, physiotherapy, home help, personal care assistance or assessment for occupational therapy.

Inpatients

We ask that you vacate your room between 9am and 11am on the day you are discharged. Please feel free to ask us for assistance with arranging transport. Special arrangements can be made for a later discharge time, although a late discharge fee may be incurred. Should you wish to remain in hospital for a longer period to convalesce, the Ward Team Leader will be happy to discuss this option and the associated room rates with you.

Day Case patients

Your length of stay may vary between 2 and 8 hours depending on your specialist’s and your nurse’s assessment.

Day Surgery patients

Depending on your surgery and your individual recovery, patients are advised to stay between 1 and 2 hours following surgery. The nursing staff will assist you to make any transport arrangements.

Please make sure that you see the nursing staff before you leave the ward or day surgery unit to ensure that all medical checks have been completed, and that you have your discharge instruction form and any other special instructions or prescriptions you may require. Your nurse will then accompany you to the door.

In the first 24 hours following surgery you should not drive a vehicle or operate any machinery. You are also advised not to make any important decisions, sign any legal documents or drink alcohol.

Transport

You should not drive yourself home after discharge. Please arrange to be taken home by a relative or friend in a private car, or use a taxi. We recommend that you do not use public transport.

When you get home

You should arrange for a responsible adult to stay with you for 24 hours after you get home. We recommend that you rest and follow the instructions of your doctor and/or hospital staff. If you require extra care at home we can arrange that for you.

Follow-up

In most cases you will need to have a follow-up appointment with your specialist. Your nurse or specialist may have arranged this for you. If not, please ring your specialist within a day or so of leaving the hospital to arrange this.

If you suffer any pain not relieved by your pain-relief medication, or other problems, we encourage you to let your specialist or general practitioner know immediately or contact nursing staff at the hospital.

Following your surgery, our nursing staff will telephone you at home to see how you are managing and to answer any concerns you might have. We will also check that you have the details for your follow-up appointment with your specialist.

ESTIMATES & COSTS

Your specialist should discuss estimated costs with you before your admission and can usually give you an accurate estimate of the fees for their services and those of your anaesthetist.

However, we recommend that you phone us prior to your admission to confirm cost estimates related to your hospital fees.

The estimate we will give you will be based on current average costs and will comprise:

Theatre fees (based on time)

Medical supplies

Accommodation

Specialised nursing care (if applicable)

High-dependency care (if applicable)

Special equipment and services.

Please remember these will only be estimates.

They may be higher or lower than the actual amounts you are finally charged, if your particular treatment has been more or less complex than ‘average’.

Our actual costs are charged on an ‘as used’ basis (unless a fixed price fee is applicable) and can vary significantly from patient to patient, even for the same procedure.

As well as the hospital account, you will receive separate accounts from your anaesthetist, surgeon and/or physician. If you have received radiology, physiotherapy and/or occupational therapy services during your stay, charges for those will be invoiced to you separately.

PAYMENT OF ACCOUNTS

All patients are admitted on the understanding that they have made arrangements to pay their hospital account. In some situations, such as when patients have no private medical insurance cover, payment is required prior to admission. In such cases, the charge will be estimated by accounts staff. Any additional charges will be shown on the final invoice and the difference will need to be paid according to normal business practice. If the final invoice is less than the amount already paid, a refund will be sent to you. Either your specialist or the hospital will advise you if pre-payment is required.

In addition, the payment of a refundable bond will be required on or before your discharge, for any mobility equipment loaned to you by the hospital.

To assist you, EFTPOS is available, and Mastercard, American Express and Visa credit cards are accepted. We also accept Mastercard and Visa credit-card payments over the telephone. If paying by cheque, please make it payable to Wakefield Health Ltd.

Some medical insurance policies will refund only a portion of your hospital account. A prompt claim from your insurer, and settlement by you of any shortfall, is expected. It is advisable to contact your medical insurer prior to surgery to obtain prior approval. This will speed up the processing of your claim and may indicate to you in advance the level of reimbursement you can expect from your insurer. If you require assistance with the completion of a Claims Form, please ask our reception or accounts staff to help you.
In addition to the hospital account, you are likely to receive separate accounts from your surgeon, anaesthetist and Hawke’s Bay Radiology, as well as other specialists (if applicable). You should pay their fees directly to them.

ACC Patients

ACC often authorises treatment in a private hospital. Please bring your letter of approval and present it to the receptionist on admission. If your surgery has been approved under an ACC elective contract, there is no charge to you other than the bond for mobility equipment and any ancillary charges that you may incur. If approval is under ACC Regulations, the shortfall applicable is due for payment on discharge.

Surgery cannot go ahead without ACC approval. We suggest that you confirm this with your specialist prior to admission in order to avoid any embarrassment to you and the delay of your treatment.

Terms and Conditions of Payment

The following are our terms and conditions of payment:

If there is a delay with your insurance claim, or another reason you are not able to pay our account within 7 days (1 month for insurance claims) of the date of invoice, please ensure you contact us before this due date.

Royston Hospital payment terms are 7 days following date of invoice. Any balance remaining unpaid 1 month after the date of invoice will attract interest at the rate of 14% per annum. Interest will be calculated daily from the due date of invoice and may be added to the outstanding balance at the end of each calendar month, up to the actual date of payment. Any debt collection, legal or other costs incurred in the collection of outstanding amounts will also be payable by you, the debtor. Any variation to these terms will be at the discretion of Royston Hospital management.

If you have any queries or concerns regarding your hospital account please discuss these with Royston Hospital accounts staff.

Visitors

Inpatients

Your visitors are welcome between 11am and 8pm. You have a right to limit the number of visitors, or not have visitors at all. Please talk to your nurse to arrange this. We do ask that you show courtesy to other patients and nursing staff by limiting noise and the number of visitors present at any one time.

Day Surgery

Please ask admissions staff or your nurse where your family may wait if they wish to remain at the hospital.