Hospital Map (15kb, pdf) Surgical Unit
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The surgical ward at the Hamilton Base Hospital is a 44 bed ward which includes the following areas-
| general surgery | 20 beds |
| complex care | 3 beds |
| midwifery | 3 birthing beds 2 post natal beds |
| paediatrics | 4 beds |
| dialysis unit | 3 chairs |
| day procedure unit | 8 chairs |
The general surgical area provides care for patients having undergone surgery for general, specialist and visiting surgeons. Types of operations include gynaecological, abdo/colorectal, orthopaedics, renal and ENT.
Patients in this ware area are cared for in mainly single rooms with some shared two bedded rooms. All rooms have ensuite facilities.
The complex care area employs a number of Nursing staff that have undergone extra specialist training to provide a high level of care for patients with more involved and complex needs. Examples include colo/rectal, abdominal, renal and orthopaedic surgery. The patients admitted to this area generally stay until their condition has become stable and are then moved to the general surgical ward.
The dialysis unit is a satellite station linked to The Royal Melbourne Hospital. This unit can dialyse up to 4 patients usually three times per week. At various periods throughout the year extra patients are seen that may be on holidays to the district. The hours and/or days are then extended to meet the needs of the patients. The Nurses that work in this unit have all completed extra studies at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The day procedure ward operates Monday to Friday for an eight hour shift. There are 8 reclining chairs available for recovering patients. Most patients admitted to this area stay between two to three hours and are then discharged home. On discharge, if needed services are available such as district nursing, hospital in the home or other supports are offered to the patient.
The patients are telephoned the next day by a member of Nursing staff to ascertain that their post operative recovering period and the care that they received was satisfactory. Patients are also given a list of telephone numbers to ring in case of emergency or to discuss any issues that they may have.
Day surgery includes ENT,gynaecological procedures, dental, ophthalmology and various transfusions. This area is an open ward with a double room attached if required for privacy.
Apart from emergencies all planned surgical cases are firstly booked and interviewed in the Pre-Admission Clinic and on the day of surgery are admitted to theatre via this clinical.
The Midwifery ward offers an approach to childbirth that is based on family-centred care, promoting pregnancy and childbirth as a normal healthy life event. Over two hundred babies birth at Hamilton Base Hospital each year.
Ante-natal classes are also run on a weekly basis. There is a shared care collaborative model where the majority of antenatal care is provided by the medical practitioner, with complimentary visits to the Midwives clinic and a midwifery model of care, provided by midwives to low risk women, across the continuum of pregnancy and birth, with scheduled visits to their referring doctor. Other midwifery services include breastfeeding support and day stay, domiciliary midwifery service and alliances with other health professionals as required.
All of the ward areas have adopted a proactive approach to ongoing education, with annual competencies and a wide range of various study topics offered to all staff.
All of these ward areas are managed by the Charge Nurse Monday to Friday with an Associate Charge Nurse covering the out of hours shifts. During week days a Clinical Support Nurse assists the Charge Nurse with the clinical management of the ward areas.
All the specialised ward areas have one or more Clinical Nurse Specialists who also assist with the clinical management and along with clinical teachers, education of nursing staff.