Going to hospital or health care service can be a difficult time for patients, their families and their friends. We are committed to patient-centred care that respects your choices, needs and values.

Key patient rights include:

  • treating patients, consumers, carers and families with dignity and respect
  • encouraging and supporting patients, consumers, carers and families to be partners in decision-making
  • communicating and sharing information with patients, consumers, carers and families
  • working with patients, consumers, carers, families and health professionals to develop programs and policies, in health service design, delivery and evaluation
  • being mindful of factors that can influence how consumers and patients experience health services.

Aboriginal health support

Culturally, socially and emotionally supportive care is available through Aboriginal health practitioners and liaison officers for Aboriginal families living in Adelaide’s north and north-east.

Please ask your medical team to connect you.

Advance care directives

An Advance Care Directive (ACD) is a legally binding document that expresses your future wishes or directions for health care and personal matters. The ACD applies if you are unable to make your own decisions in the future and it can appoint one or more substitute decision-makers to make decisions for you.

You can write an ACD at any stage of life. To write an ACD, you must be 18 years or older, it must be your choice and you must know what an ACD is, know what it will be used for, and know when it will be used.

The Advance Care Directives Act 2013 came into effect from 1 July 2014. If you completed an Enduring Power of Guardianship, a Medical Power of Attorney or an Anticipatory Direction, before 1 July 2014 they still remain legally binding. If you have any of these documents, please provide a certified copy to staff to be stored with your medical record.

For more information, go to the Advance care planning website.

Behaviour and safety

NALHN is committed to providing a safe environment for patients, carers, visitors, volunteers and staff. Aggressive, abusive or violent behaviour is not tolerated at any NALHN site. If you experience or witness this behaviour report it to a staff member immediately. Your report will be kept confidential.

Public hospitals will take action to protect staff, patients and visitors against such behaviour and measures taken may include eviction or detention for prosecution under the Health Care Act 2008.

The possession, use or supply of prohibited substances and weapons is not tolerated at any SA Health site, including public hospitals, and will be dealt with under applicable laws.

NALHN is an accredited White Ribbon Workplace and is committed to supporting individuals and families affected by domestic and family violence. Staff are trained to ask, assess and respond to you and your family's needs.

Consent to medical treatment

Medical consent

You have the right to make informed choices about the health and medical care and treatment you want, or do not want.  This is known as “consent to medical treatment”.

Financial consent

Public Medicare patients generally do not have to pay for treatment or hospital stays. Private patients will receive a breakdown of possible out-of-pocket costs prior to treatment.

You can find out more information on the consent to medical treatment and financial consent at NALHN page.

Confidentiality, privacy and access to personal information

Public hospitals collect, use and store confidential information to provide appropriate care and meet administrative needs that is guided by SA Health's Code of Fair Information Practice.  The principles regulate the way personal health information is collected, used, disclosed, stored and transferred.

Your information may be shared with members of your health care team, including your general practitioner, and service providers including pathologists, radiologists, allied health professionals and pharmacists.

To identify ways we can improve the care and for educational purposes, we sometimes give, hospital staff, training medical officers, health or medical researchers, and committees access to medical records. You are assured that all staff are bound by strict confidentiality and no information to identify you or your treatment is kept for any purpose other than your health care.

You have the right to access information kept about you by SA Health, either personally or through another person you nominate. If you wish to access your personal health records, please ask to speak with a Freedom of Information Officer at the network. For more information visit the Freedom of information page.

More information about confidentiality is in the booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities, which is available in 16 languages.

Emergency management and security

Emergency management

All hospital emergency responses comply with Australian Standards. In the event of a fire or emergency, please remain calm and you and your visitors should stay by your bed, staff will let you know what is happening. Your visitors should stay with you. Follow directions from staff, the  Emergency Response Team or emergency services personnel if present.

Security

The Security Officers provide security for patients, visitors, staff and NALHN infrastructure. You can contact them through the ward staff,  hospital switchboard or reception desk.


Interpreter services

NALHN engages external service providers for interpreters for a range of languages. If you need an interpreter to help you to understand what is being said so you can make an informed decision, please ask staff to arrange an interpreter for you. More information about interpreter services is in the booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities.

Involvement in your care, medicines and pain management

You are an important member of your health care team, along with your nurses/midwives, doctors and allied health professionals. It is vital that you share information about your health with the other members of your health care team, especially if you notice any changes in your condition. Make sure you tell your health care team if you have any questions or concerns, so everyone can help decide on a shared plan that is best for your wellbeing.

Medicines

You may be prescribed medicines as part of your treatment. Understanding more about medicines will help us work with you to provide you with safe health care.

Pain management

Good pain control is important and can help you feel more comfortable and maybe even get well faster.

Find out more information about being involved in your care, medicines and pain management at NALHN.

Open disclosure

If an adverse event causes harm during your care, open disclosure involves transparent discussions with you and your family about what happened. 

You can read more about open disclosure in the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Open disclosure fact sheet.

Organ and tissue donation

SA Health supports organ and tissue donation through Donate Life. For more information visit the Donate Life website or speak with your nurse caring for you or your relative.

Palliative care support

Palliative care aims to provide relief from suffering and promote comfort for people diagnosed with an advanced life limiting illness, where cure is no longer possible. The focus is on maximising living by supporting the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient, and their family and friends.

The Northern Adelaide Palliative Service (NAPS) aims to provide people living or receiving care in the NALHN, regardless of disease, age and location, with consistent and reliable access to culturally appropriate best quality palliative care.

Services

NAPS supports patients and their families/carers in a number of settings:

  • home visits including residential care facilities
  • outpatient clinics
  • Modbury Hospital Inpatient Palliative Care Unit
  • Lyell McEwin Hospital Consult service
  • bereavement support

For more information

If you require further information or support, please contact NALHN on the following phone numbers:

  • Inpatient:  08 8161 2525
  • Community:  08 8161 2499

Patient property

If you have lost or found property while at a NALHN site, please speak with reception, your medical team or the security office. They will assist you in completing the necessary documentation. 


Preventing a fall, preventing pressure injuries, and preventing and managing infections

Find out more information on preventing falls, preventing pressure injuries, and preventing and managing infections at NALHN.

Teaching

The training of future health professionals is a task the staff of NALHN takes very seriously. We ask that you consider helping us by accepting students as part of your health care team. However, if you prefer to decline please advise our staff who will respect your wishes.

Smoke-free policy

All NALHN sites are smoke-free environments and there are no designated areas for smoking. This also includes electronic cigarettes.

If you are a smoker, please ensure your healthcare team, including your anaesthetist, are aware. Support is also available at all public hospitals in South Australia to help you manage nicotine withdrawal while you are in hospital, including nicotine replacement therapy. Please discuss this with your treating doctor.

Our smoke-free policy protects staff, patients and visitors from second-hand smoke. Information, assistance and counselling to help you to quit smoking are available. Please speak with a member of staff or call the Quitline on 13 78 48.

Spiritual care

Spirituality is personal and unique to everyone. It can include caring for one another, love, hope, strength, connection to country, meaning and purpose. Our spiritual care team is available to sit and offer deep reflective listening about what is important to you and who you are.

If you have a faith tradition or religious belief, we can arrange, upon request, support from that tradition.

Feel free to ask any staff member to request a visit from the hospital Spiritual Care Team or direction to the place of prayer.

Statements of rights for mental health consumers

There are statements of rights for mental health consumers on Community Treatment Orders and Inpatient Treatment Orders. These statements provide information about mental health treatment orders, mental health care and summarises the rights and responsibilities of consumers of mental health services.