Helping You Feel Informed and Confident

Location

Suite 3/44-46 Oxford St, Epping NSW 2121

Patient Information

The following information will answer many of your questions about what you can expect prior to, on the day of and following your surgery.

Before Admission

Day of Surgery

Post Surgery

Anaesthesia and You

Patient Rights and Responsibilities

Medical Records and Privacy

Clinical Outcomes

Compliments, Concerns and Complaints

Patient Satisfaction

Patient Engagement

Hand Hygiene

Complete Your Online Pre-Admission Form Today!

Why Choose Us?

Unmatched Expertise and Specialization

We are home to some of Australia's most respected and experienced pain doctors.

Customized, State-of-the-Art Facilities

The center provides customized, "state-of-the-art facilities" that are designed to meet the unique needs of pain intervention patients.

Accredited for Your Safety

Our facility is licensed by the NSW Department of Health and holds a prestigious 3-year accreditation with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS).

Integrated Care and Modern Approach

While the day surgery itself focuses on interventional procedures, it is part of a broader network of pain management services, which often involves a multidisciplinary team of professionals.

Accreditations

We are accredited to the highest quality and safety healthcare standards, the National Safety and Quality Health Service.

Before Admission

Your doctor will inform you of the day of your procedure admission as well as notify the facility of the date of your procedure. Your doctor will explain your procedure or operation to you and complete your consent form with
you.

Your doctor may request that you visit your GP for a general health assessment before your procedure. Regardless of whether your doctor recommends visiting your GP beforehand, it is important that you have seen
your GP within the last year before your proposed surgery date.

If your account is subject to a Work Cover or Third Party claim, please forward the full details of your claim to the facility, including a letter from your insurance company accepting liability for your admission.

If you do not speak English, please ask someone you know to discuss this with our staff before admission so that we may provide the best possible assistance.

It is very important that all our patients have a carer on the day of surgery, who will accompany them to and from the facility, and stay with them overnight following surgery.

Pre-admission is an important part of your care. Prior to you coming into hospital, you are required to register your admission to confirm your personal details, health history, financial details and other arrangements. This can be done by the following methods:

Complete your Admission Form Online: ONLINE PRE-ADMISSION FORM

Complete the form provided by your doctor and
- Submit in person at our hospital prior to your admission date
- Fax to (02) 9868 6544 (please also bring the originals on the day of surgery)
- Post to: Sydney Pain Day Surgery Suite 3, Oxford Place 44-46 Oxford Street, EPPING NSW 2121
- Email a scanned copy to reception@sydneypainds.com.au

Our nursing staff will contact you several days prior to admission to advise you of your pre-admission preparation and fasting times. Please contact the centre or your doctor if you develop a cold or illness prior to surgery.

If you have any questions about the centre’s procedures, completion of forms, day surgery fees or your health insurance status, our staff will be happy to assist you.

All patients must have a carer present on the night of surgery. If the patient does not comply with this requirement a release of responsibility is to be signed on discharge from the hospital. Carers will be asked for an accessible contact number.

Online Pre-Admission Form

In order to ensure your admission is streamlined, we request that you complete this hospital pre-admission form at least 2 weeks prior to your admission date.

Please ensure you are able to complete this form uninterrupted
You will need approximately 20 minutes to fill in this form
Fields that are mandatory are marked with an asterisk (*).
This form cannot be completed without an admission date and procedure name. Please contact your Surgeon if you do not have these details.

Important! To assist you with this process, please have the following information at hand.

Your personal details and support person details
Emergency contact details (Next of Kin /Carer)
Medicare card
Health Fund details
Specialist details, including admission date and procedure name
List of medication(s) and dosage

When you have completed filling in your admission form, you will be prompted to ensure that your details are correct before continuing.

Fees and Payments

Estimate of Expenses

An estimate of the expenses for your hospital stay can be obtained by contacting Patient Administration on (02) 9122 7973. If you are a member of a health fund, the Hospital will conduct an eligibility check for you to establish your level of cover and any payable excesses. You will be informed of any additional gaps at discharge to assist settlement of your account. An invoice will be forwarded to you should there be any additional charges relating to variations in actual treatment provided or other unforeseen costs.

Cost estimates as part of our informed financial consent to you are based on information provided to us by your Pain Interventionist prior to admission regarding proposed treatment. These costs may alter due to variations in actual treatment provided. All patients will be asked to sign a document stating that they are responsible for their accounts and costs associated with their admission.

Costs of Other Health Care Providers

Your Doctor will advise you of their fees for your surgery as these are separate to those of the facility. Other providers like specialists, anaesthetists and pathologists will send you separate accounts not to be paid here at our facility.

Prosthesis Costs and Consent

Some prostheses (artificial surgical items used during procedures) may be clinically indicated by your doctor for your surgery and may not be fully covered by your health fund resulting in a gap payable by you to the facility. You should check with your doctor whether any prostheses will be used during your surgery.

Privately Insured Patients

Prior to your admission, it is important for you to check with your health fund regarding the following:

Whether your level of health fund cover adequately covers the cost of your procedure and accommodation in the facility.
Whether an excess is payable for your admission, and if so, the amount.
Are any prosthetic or disposable items used in the surgery not covered by your insurance?

If you have been a member of your health fund for less than 12 months, your fund may not accept liability for the costs of your admission if your condition or any symptoms of your condition existed prior to your joining the health fund. If there is a question regarding pre-existing symptoms, your health fund has the right to obtain details in this regard from your GP or specialist. Any excess will be required to be paid on admission.

Uninsured Patients

Uninsured patients are required to pay the total estimated cost of their hospital stay on admission. . Please contact the facility prior to admission for an estimate of fees and charges. As it is an estimate only, in the event of unforeseen complications or variations from the proposed treatment the cost may vary.

Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Patients

Gold card holders are covered for all care. White card holders are covered subject to approval by DVA. You must provide the centre with your Gold Card number and bring the card at time of admission to the centre.

Workers Compensation

For Worker’s Compensation a letter of approval from the relevant insurer must be provided with the Patient Registration Details form prior to admission.

Overseas Patients

If you are insured with an overseas company, you will be asked to pay the estimated cost on admission. Please contact the facility prior to admission for an estimate of fees and charges. As it is an estimate only, in the event of unforeseen complications or variations from the proposed treatment the cost may vary.

Account Payments

Accounts are paid on admission including any foreseeable excess or co-payment. Payment can be settled by credit card (Visa, MasterCard), bank cheque, cash or EFTPOS. Bank cheques should be made payable to Sydney Pain Day Surgery. Payment must be made/cleared prior to admission, Bank transfer will not be accepted on the day of surgery, alternate payment method will need to be utilised.

Day of Surgery

Doctors’ Orders

Please follow any pre-admission instructions given by your doctor.

Medication

Take your regular medication on the day of your procedure with a small sip of water, unless otherwise instructed.
If taking fluid tablets (diuretics), do not take these on the morning of your procedure.
If you are a diabetic and your procedure is in the morning, have a late supper and do not take insulin or diabetic tablets on the day of the surgery. If the procedure is in the afternoon, take
half your normal dose of morning insulin, omit diabetic tablets and have an early breakfast, then follow the general fasting rules. Bring your insulin and/ or your diabetic medications with
you to the facility.
For patients taking Diamox tablets – please follow your doctor’s instructions.
If you are an asthmatic and use puffers, bring them with you to the facility.

IF IT IS POSSIBLE THAT YOU MIGHT BE PREGNANT, NOTIFY THE RADIOGRAPHER, NURSE OR PHYSICIAN BEFORE YOUR X-RAY EXAMINATION.

What to Wear

Loose and comfortable clothing, preferably shirts/tops that open at the front for chest access (cardiac monitoring) and short sleeves.
You will be required to change into a theatre gown.
Shower and wash your hair the day of or before your procedure.
Please do not wear make-up or nail polish.
Leave all valuables and jewellery at home – you may wear your wedding ring.

Parking and Collection

Pick up and drop off parking is available in our facility car park.
Street parking is available in the surrounding area.
A wheelchair is available at all times.
For your convenience a business card sized map showing the location of the facility, address, contact details, admission date/time and approximate pick up time is provided within this admission package to give to your relative/carer to facilitate your drop off and collection.

Patients’ Relatives, Friends and Carers

If accompanying a patient to the facility you may wait in our comfortable lounge, which offers refreshments, relaxing music, television and reading material, including the daily newspapers. Shopping in the area has become a popular way for relatives and carers to entertain themselves whilst waiting for the patient to be discharged. Or alternatively, we will ring when the patient is ready to go home.

What to Bring

Any relevant forms that you may still have for the Sydney Pain Day Surgery.
Your fund card will only be required if you have not supplied your fund details.
Results of any relevant tests completed prior to admission.

What to expect

Our friendly receptionist will finalise your admission and account and any other necessary details, on arrival.
Our nursing staff will welcome you into the facility where you can relax on a comfortable reclining chair and listen to background music.
Observations and a medical history will be taken by our nursing staff.
Your privacy and confidentiality is retained and respected at all times.

Anaesthesia and You

This is an anxious time so we would like to reassure patients that they are in good hands.

Anaesthetists in Australia are specialised, highly-trained doctors expert at administering pain management drugs as well as managing resuscitation and other medical emergencies.
You can ask your anaesthetist any questions and air any concerns before your procedure. It is important that you disclose any information that may be relevant and to follow your medical and fasting instructions. Your anaesthetist will monitor you throughout your procedure as well as afterwards to ensure your smooth recovery.

Various types of anaesthesia are commonly used in day surgery, including:-

Topical Anaesthesia
Topical anaesthesia covers a small surface area only and may or may not include sedative drugs. The patient remains awake and recovery is fast.

Local Anaesthesia
Local anaesthesia causes numbness to a larger area than topical anaesthesia. The patient remains awake but comfortable, and does not feel any pain.

Regional Anaesthesia
Regional anaesthesia involves a nerve block to numb a particular part of the body, avoiding the need for general anaesthetic. Similar to the above methods, the patient is awake but comfortable.

Intravenous Sedation
To make things more pleasant for the patient, an anaesthetist may intravenously administer sedation drugs. The patient feels very relaxed and a little drowsy. Advantages of intravenous sedation includes fast recovery times, with discharge typically within an hour.

General Anaesthesia
General anaesthetic puts the patient into a state of unconsciousness for the duration of their operation. Anaesthesia drugs are injected through a needle placed in the vein and this is combined with a mixture of gases for inhalation. The anaesthetist monitors the patient’s condition closely throughout the procedure. Recovery time is longer with a general anaesthetic.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Anaesthetic drugs are given in the smallest effective doses, however, they may take a while to be eliminated from your body due to different rates of metabolism. Even if you feel fully recovered, it is imperative that you do not drive, operate machinery or sign important documents for 24 hours following your procedure.

Patient Rights and Responsibilities

Sydney Pain Day Surgery is committed to providing the best possible health care and outcomes for each and every patient. We have a commitment to the Privacy Act and Principles and the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights. An integral part of providing this standard of care is ensuring that patients are aware of their rights and responsibilities. The rights of all patients at Sydney Pain Day Surgery are guarded by State and Commonwealth laws.

Patients of Sydney Pain Day Surgery have the right to:

Access to healthcare services and treatment relevant to their needs
Receive safe and high-quality healthcare that meets National Standards in an environment that feels safe
To be treated as an individual and with dignity and respect for their culture, identity, beliefs and choices
Partnership in the planning and care
Be informed about our facilities, services and treatment options, outcomes, referrals to other services and costs in a clear and open manner
Respect for personal privacy and confidentiality of personal and medical information
Provide feedback or make a complaint without it affecting their care and have their concerns addressed in a transparent and timely way.
To share experiences and participate to improve care.

Patients of Sydney Pain Day Surgery have a responsibility to:

Provide accurate and personal information
Follow all instructions given by doctors and nursing staff
Respect the rights of other patients
Provide health fund details prior to admission
Provide full payment on admission and settle any post-discharge accounts if applicable.

Sydney Pain Day Surgery is committed to being a standard bearer and centre of excellence. To ensure the highest standards of patient care, we have a culture of continuous quality improvement. We continually monitor our facility’s performance against our quality objectives. As part of our commitment to quality care, we welcome all compliments, suggestions and complaints.

In the unlikely event that the care you received did not meet your expectations or go as planned, we are committed to communicating with you openly and honestly.

Patient Satisfaction

What is an Advisor?

A patient and consumer advisor is someone who:

Wants to help improve the quality of our facility’s care for all patients and family members
Gives feedback to the facility based on his or her own experiences as a patient or family member
Helps us plan changes to improve how we take care of patients
Works with the facility for either short or long-term commitments, depending on the project
Volunteers his or her time

Patient and consumer advisors provide a voice that represents all patients and families of patients who receive care at Sydney Pain Day Surgery.

They partner with centre doctors, nurses, and administrators to help improve the quality of our centre’s care for all patients and family members.

Why should you become a patient and consumer advisor?

When you or your family member were at our facility, did you think there were things we could have done better?
Do you have ideas about how to make sure other patients and families get the best care possible?

At Sydney Pain Day Surgery patient and consumer advisors give us feedback and ideas to help us improve the quality and safety of care we provide.

Who can be a patient and consumer advisor?

You can be an advisor if you or a family member received care at Epping Surgery Centre in the last 5 years. You do not need any special qualifications to be an advisor. What’s most important is your experience as a patient or family member. We will provide you with any other training you need.

What do patient and consumer advisors do?

If you are an advisor for our Facility, you can help us in the following ways:

Become a member of the Consumer Engagement Committee. This Committee is scheduled annually as a representative forum for consumers to provide input and evaluation of the safe and effective delivery of care and services. Your role could enable you to:
Share your story. Advisors help by talking about their health care experiences with clinicians, staff, and other patients
Participate in discussion groups. Advisors tell us what it’s like to be a patient at our facility and what we can do to improve
Review or help create educational or informational materials. Advisors help review or create materials like forms, health information handouts, and discharge instructions. Advisors help us make these materials easier for all patients and family members to understand and use
Work on short-term projects. We sometimes ask advisors to partner with us in making improvements — for example, helping to plan and design our reception

Is being a patient and consumer advisor right for you?

Being a patient and consumer advisor may be a good match with your skills and experiences if you can:

Speak up and share suggestions and potential solutions to help improve our facility’s care for others
Talk about your experiences as a patient or family member – but also think beyond your own personal experiences
Talk about both positive and negative care experiences and share your thoughts on what went well and how things could have been done differently
Work with people who may be different than you
Listen to and think about what others say, even when you disagree
Bring a positive attitude to discussions
Keep any information you may hear as an advisor private and confidential

For more information about being a patient and consumer advisor:

To get more information about becoming an advisor at Sydney Pain Day Surgery or to find out how to apply:

Call: The Clinical Manager/Director of Nursing on (02) 9868 6555