Preadmission at SALHN

The SALHN Preadmission Unit organises and processes patients booked for surgery across Noarlunga Hospital (NH) and Flinders Medical Centre (FMC).

There is a Preadmission Clinic at both locations. Appointments can either be in person or a phone appointment, depending on the type of surgery, how long you will be in the hospital after surgery and your current health status.

For  general information about your rights as a consumer of health services, please view Your Rights and Responsibilities which is available in a variety of languages. 

Patient Health Questionnaire

All patients are required to complete a Adult Patient Questionnaire Form (PDF 440KB). There is also a  Children's Health Questionnaire (PDF 361KB) questionnaire available for children aged 0-18 years. Please fill out and return via email to FMC.PreadmissionClinic@sa.gov.au. 

Form instructions:
— Once you have downloaded and completed your form above, click File > Save as.
— Name the file with PHQ and the date you have completed the form, eg. ‘PHQ XX/XX/XXXX’.
— Now that you have saved this form on your computer, you can attach it to your email and send it to us.

Patients contacted by Endoscopy Suite can return the online patient health questionnaire to: Health.SALHNEndoscopyUnit@sa.gov.au

What to expect at an appointment

In person

At the face-to-face appointment you will see a nurse, surgical doctor and an anaesthetist. Some patients may see a pharmacist as well as other health professionals, for example, an occupational therapist or research nurse.

We will ask about your medical history, medications you take and will give you advice about which medicine to stop before your surgery before you leave the clinic. Tests such as a blood test, electrocardiogram (heart check) or an xray will be performed if required.

Please allow 3 to 4 hours for this visit. We offer refreshments such as tea, coffee, water and biscuits due to the long visit time in the clinic.

Face-to-face appointments at Noarlunga Hospital are often quicker as most patients are only required to see an anaesthetist.

Phone appointment

During the phone appointment you may be required to speak to a nurse only, or you may need to speak with a surgical doctor and an anaesthetist over the phone.

You'll be asked about your medical history, and the medications you take. We will give you advice about which medicine to stop before your surgery.

You might be asked to attend a SA Pathology service near to where you live to complete blood or urine testing. Sometimes we may fax a script to your local chemist for you to collect to commence important medicine before your surgery date.

You can receive multiple phone calls on the day, therefore we ask that you ensure your phone is turned on, not turned on silent and most importantly that you are available to take multiple calls.

The phone call may appear on your mobile device as a private caller, unfortunately we are unable to change this. If you have a hearing problem, please let the booking person know, perhaps it would be best if you attended the clinic in person.

Your feedback

Preadmission clinic value your feedback and we have engaged the services of a patient consumer representative to assist us to hear from our patients.  A patient/family representative may contact you to obtain feedback on your experience; this helps us to make things better for our patients.

See also: Consumer Advisory Online Feedback Form

Locations

Flinders Medical Centre

The Preadmission Clinic at FMC is located on the ground floor.  View Preadmission Trail Map (129KB).

Noarlunga Hospital

The Preadmission Clinic at NH is located on the ground floor. After entering the front entrance, walk past Theo’s Café and look for the Preadmission Clinic on your left.

Interpreter service

Please tell the Admission Office if you need an interpreter for your pre-admission appointment.

Contact details

Advance Nurse Unit Manager – Meredith Phillips (across both sites)
Phone: (08) 8204 4668

Related services

Useful links

  • CALHN Prehab: Getting Ready for Surgery — The healthier you are going into surgery, the stronger you will be coming out. Resources for patients pre-surgery. 
  • Red Cross Lifeblood - Information for patients.
  • Blood Safe -  blood transfusion safety and quality improvement collaborative between SA Health, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, SA public and private hospitals and their transfusion service providers.
  • Refusal of blood consent - Information on why Jehovah's Witnesses don't accept blood transfusions.
  • Iron therapy and Iron disorders fact sheet - information about iron deficiency and its treatment, including a range of fact sheets in languages other than English.

Consumer health information