Medications

PLEASE BRING ALL YOUR CURRENT DRUGS AND MEDICINES WITH YOU in their original containers.

If your medications are dispensed from your pharmacy in BLISTER PACKS please organise to have a week’s supply dispensed in individual containers.

Complementary and Alternative Medicines (herbal/natural and vitamins supplements) must be stopped two weeks prior to your surgery.

Take your usual medication on the morning of surgery with a sip of water, unless you have been instructed otherwise. If you have diabetes and on insulin and/or oral diabetes medication such as hypoglycaemics or gliflozins you will be contacted with further preoperative instructions.

You also will be given special instructions regarding:

Diuretics (water pills).
Anticoagulant therapies (Blood thinners) e.g., dabigatran, warfarin, aspirin.
Blood pressure medication.

If you are unsure about taking any of your medications prior to your surgery please contact Bidwill Hospital and ask to speak to a Registered Nurse for further advice.

Patient Information

Your Rights as a Patient

Bidwill Trust Hospital abides by a Code of Patient Rights, ensuring proper standards are adhered to with respect and fair treatment by listening and recognising your need for dignity, independence, information, support and decision making. We welcome all feedback and complaints.

Your Rights as a Patient

Respect You should always be treated with respect. This includes respect for your culture, values and beliefs, as well as your right to personal privacy.

Fair Treatment No-one should discriminate against you, pressure you into something you do not want or take advantage of you in any way.

Dignity and Independence Services should be provided in a way that respects your dignity and independence.

Proper Standards You have the right to be treated with care and skill, and to receive services that reflect your needs. All those involved in your care should work together for you.

Communication You have the right to be listened to, understood and receive information in whatever way you need. When it is necessary and practicable an interpreter should be available.

Information You have the right to have your condition explained and be told what your choices are. This includes how long you may have to wait, an estimate of any costs and likely benefits and side effects. You can ask any questions to help you be fully informed.

It’s Your Decision It’s up to you to decide. You can say no or change your mind at any time.

Support You have the right to have someone with you to give you support in most circumstances.

Teaching and Research All these rights also apply when taking part in teaching and research.

Complaints It is OK to complain – your complaints help improve services, and It will not have an adverse effect on the way you are treated.

Learn more here: hdc.org.nz/the-code-of-rights

Your Admission to Hospital

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.

Fasting Before Surgery

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.

Completing Your Admission Questionnaire

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.

Medications

PLEASE BRING ALL YOUR CURRENT DRUGS AND MEDICINES WITH YOU in their original containers.

If your medications are dispensed from your pharmacy in BLISTER PACKS please organise to have a week’s supply dispensed in individual containers.

Complementary and Alternative Medicines (herbal/natural and vitamins supplements) must be stopped two weeks prior to your surgery.

Take your usual medication on the morning of surgery with a sip of water, unless you have been instructed otherwise. If you have diabetes and on insulin and/or oral diabetes medication such as hypoglycaemics or gliflozins you will be contacted with further preoperative instructions.

You also will be given special instructions regarding:

Diuretics (water pills).
Anticoagulant therapies (Blood thinners) e.g., dabigatran, warfarin, aspirin.
Blood pressure medication.

If you are unsure about taking any of your medications prior to your surgery please contact Bidwill Hospital and ask to speak to a Registered Nurse for further advice.

What To Bring

We recommend you bring glasses, contact lenses and hearing aids and any other aids required for your post op recovery especially crutches.

You will need comfortable/casual loose-fitting clothes. If you are staying overnight, you will also require a dressing gown, night wear, toiletries.

Smoking and Vaping

Smoking and vaping are associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications including respiratory, and delayed wound and bone healing. It is in your best interests to stop smoking/vaping 6 weeks prior to your surgery or as soon as you become aware that your surgery is planned. This period presents a unique opportunity for us to assist you to permanently stop smoking/vaping. You will be contacted by nursing staff and offered smoking and vaping cessation advice and options.

Bidwill Trust Hospital is a smoke/vape free facility and this goes with our philosophy for the promotion of good health.

Smoking or vaping is not permitted within the hospital or its grounds.

Quit Cards are available at your GP/Surgeons Room/Bidwill Trust Hospital if you need assistance with the cessation of smoking or vaping.

Accommodation

Nursing staff are responsible for selecting your room. Every effort is made to meet patients’ requests for a single room with ensuite. How ever this is not always possible and sometimes it is unavoidable that patients are placed in a double room with a shared ensuite.

We ask that you plan for your discharge by 10am once your discharge has been confirmed by the surgeon. Please discuss with the nursing staff if this is not possible.

Valuables And Money

No responsibility can be accepted by the hospital for articles that may be lost or damaged during your stay. We strongly recommend that valuables and money are left at home.

For safety reasons we require all jewellery to be removed prior to surgery. The wearing of jewellery can pose a risk of burns to you. For this reason, if you have jewellery that cannot be removed, either physically or for cultural reasons, please discuss available options with nursing staff on admission.

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Children

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.

On Discharge

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.

The Health Quality Safety Commission TeTāhū Hauora provide useful information about staying safe from infection after surgery which we encourage you to view.

Stay safe from infection:TeTāhū Hauora Health Quality & Safety Commission

Hospital Closures

If you need assistance following your discharge from Bidwill and the hospital is closed there are instructions on the hospital answerphone service, please listen carefully.

Parking

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

Paying Accounts

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, or Credit Card.

Patient Feedback

At Bidwill Trust Hospital, we are committed to delivering excellent service to our patients. Your feedback is a valuable way for us to understand where and how we can improve.

If you have any feedback, issues or concerns during your stay we encourage you to speak to the Clinical Ward Manager.

The Bidwill Trust Hospital Patient Experience Programme is a survey that aims to measure patients’ experiences of various aspects of care in our hospital. Approximately one to two weeks after your discharge from hospital you will receive an email or text with a link to participate in our anonymous patient experience survey. If you would like to be contacted by phone about your experience of feedback, please add your contact details at the end of the survey. This survey may take around 5 minutes to complete. Thank you for your time to complete this.

You can contact our team responsible for collecting Patient Experiences if you have any questions or concerns about the questionnaires, confidentiality or how your personal details will be held and used. Email: support@cemplicity.com

Complaints

The hospital staff trust you have been comfortable during your stay, that your treatment and care has been to your satisfaction, and that you have a speedy recovery. If you have any concerns or suggestions please write to:

The Manager, Tina Rogers or Chairman, Sam Hervey
C/- Bidwill Trust Hospital
53 Elizabeth Street
Timaru

Alternatively you can contact the Nationwide Health & Disability Advocacy Services. This is a nationwide free and independent service.

Phone: 0800 555 050

Website: advocacy.org.nz

Quality Policy

The Quality Policy of The Board of Trustees and Bidwill Trust Hospital staff is to provide exceptional personalized patient care, in a modern environment, delivered with skill and compassion that are guided by our strategic values of ‘CARE’

Community - Hapori,

Accountability - Whaiwhakaara,

Respect - Whakaute and

Excellence - Hiraka.

To ensure that we:

1. Provide services that:

- are responsive to individual needs, affirm and respect the dignity, uniqueness and rights of every person, recognizing cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, values, and sexual orientation;

- honour the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi of Partnership, Participation and Protection with a focus on equity of access;

- aspire to provide the highest quality care and service delivered in a timely, responsible and effective manner promoting well-being and optimal health outcomes for all patients;

- are guided by the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights;

- promote health within the community.

2. Employ competent and compassionate people who participate in ongoing educational development to ensure a Quality Service.

3. Maximize the use of all available resources to achieve a cost effective and efficient service, without compromising patient care, with a focus on Continuous Quality Improvement.

4. Provide a restful atmosphere in which to recover and recuperate in an environment that is well maintained, pleasant and safe for all users.

5. Maintain Quality Assurance with certification to ISO 9001:2015 Standards.

6. Maintain Health & Disability Certification meeting Ngā paerewa Health and Disability Services Standards NZS 8134:2021.

7. Maintaining a workplace that adheres to the health and safety practices outlined in the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and a focus on the health and wellbeing of our staff.

8. Maintaining Food service certification through MPI in line with the Food Act 2014.

Providing private surgical hospital services to the people of South Canterbury since 1912

Disclaimer: Whilst we take steps to ensure that all of the information presented is accurate, Bidwill Trust Hospital can not be held accountable for the accuracy of any information provided.

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