If your operation is in the morning, do not eat anything after midnight but you may have water to drink until 6:00am. For afternoon operations, have a light breakfast of toast or cereal (not a cooked breakfast) before 7.30am. You may drink water up until 11:00am. Babies can be breast fed up to three hours before surgery and bottle fed babies up to four hours before surgery. They may continue to have water up until two hours before surgery.

Please complete all portions of the yellow questionnaire numbered 1-9 and return it at least one week prior to your admission date. Please use black pen to complete the form. Contact the hospital if you have any problems completing the form. You may be contacted by a Registered Nurse prior to your admission requesting further information/clarification of your health history. We recommend that you read your information booklet to assist you in completing your questionnaire.

Overnight patients should bring a dressing gown, night wear, and toiletries. Day patients should come to hospital in comfortable clothing.

PLEASE BRING ALL YOUR CURRENT DRUGS AND MEDICINES WITH YOU in their original containers. Take your usual medication on the morning of surgery with a sip of water, unless you have been instructed otherwise. Diabetic patients on insulin and/or oral diabetes medication (hypoglycaemics) should discuss their pre-operative regime with their surgeon/GP prior to admission.

Smokers develop more complications than non-smokers. It is in your interest to stop smoking six weeks before your operation, but if your surgery is arranged at short notice, you should stop smoking as soon as possible. You will be contacted by nursing staff and offered smoking cessation referral and support. Ministry of Health Quit cards are available at your GP/Surgeon’s rooms or Bidwill Hospital. Bidwill Hospital has a Smoke Free policy and Smoking is not permitted within the hospital, or grounds.

Thank you for choosing to stay at Bidwill Trust Hospital. The management and staff look forward to welcoming you and hope your stay is pleasant and comfortable. On arrival at Reception you will be accompanied to your room or day surgery lounge and admission procedures will be carried out by the Nurse on duty. Depending on the time of your scheduled operation, there will be a waiting period.

Overnight patients have a single room with en-suite facilities, sky TV and WiFi. Patients having minor surgery will be accommodated in the day surgery unit.

We strongly recommend that valuables and money are left at home. No responsibility can be accepted by the hospital for items that are lost or damaged during your stay, even those in safe keeping.

At the hospital the hospital there is a double room assigned for the hospitalisation and the care of children. Visiting is unrestricted for immediate family. Facilities are available at a charge for a parent to stay overnight with their child. We recommend that a parent accompany their child to theatre and stay until they are asleep. Meals can be arranged for a parent sitting with their child on the day of surgery.

Unrestricted parking is available within the front car park or at the rear of the hospital in Bidwill Street.

We strongly recommend that you arrange for a responsible adult family member or friend to accompany you home and stay with you overnight after discharge. If, after your discharge from Bidwill Trust Hospital you have any concerns ring the hospital and ask to speak to a registered nurse. If the nurse is unable to answer your queries, he/she will contact the surgeon responsible for your care.

You will receive either two or three accounts covering your surgery. Your accounts will come from the hospital, your surgeon and your anaesthetist (if you had one in attendance). If you are covered by health insurance you will need to collate all invoices relating to your surgery and forward these to your company for payment, along with any prior approval information provided. Office hours for payment of accounts: 8.00am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday. Payments can be made by Internet banking, Eftpos, Cash, Cheque or Credit Card.