Infants and children who need to be admitted are
usually cared for in the Koala Ward.
There is a play room, parent
lounge and family waiting area. Parents and
guardians are welcome to visit at any time and are encouraged to
stay overnight by the bedside and to be with their children
as much as possible.
A friendly and supportive group of nursing and medical staff,
play therapists, teachers, social workers and clerical personnel
make up a professional and coordinated team to care for the
children and to help parents during hospitalisation.
Before admission it is often necessary to organise
preliminary tests and checks (including blood tests) to ensure that
all the results are 'up to date'.
"Pre-admission" visits may necessitate several hours at the
hospital, but usually do not require that the child stays
overnight.
Admission procedures depend on the urgency and nature of the
stay in hospital but parents will need to complete documentation
either before or at the time of admission and may need to go to the
Admissions Office on the ground floor of the hospital. At this time
the hospital staff will need to know whether parents have private
health insurance and if so whether they wish for their child to be
managed as a private patient by the Cardiologist or Surgeon of
their choice?
The duration of hospital stay will depend on the
reason for admission and the speed of recovery after investigations
or surgery. Some children, who come in for tests (such as a "
Catheter" test), may be able to leave hospital in the evening,
after their tests have been completed. Others may need to stay
overnight and, after surgery, with most needing to stay for several
days.