Going Home
Going home
Your specialist, in consultation with you and our nursing staff, will decide when you are ready for discharge from our hospital. This process is important because it ensures that your care is formally transferred from our hospital to your specialist and/or general practitioner.
Our nursing staff will assist in the arrangements for your discharge, in consultation with you and your specialist.
A discharge form will be completed which will outline the details of your procedure and requirements for your post-operative appointments. You and your general practitioner will receive a copy.
Please ensure that you see a member of our nursing staff before you leave our hospital to ensure that all medical checks have been completed. If you have any accounts to settle you can complete this before going home.
Transport
It is recommended that you should not drive yourself home after discharge. Please arrange to be taken home by a relative or friend, or use a taxi (we recommend that you do not use public transport, such as a bus).
Important note for your first 24 hours after surgery
In the first 24 hours following surgery you should not drive a vehicle or operate any machinery.
You are also advised not to make any important decisions, sign any legal documents, drink alcohol or take any illicit drugs.
When you get home
You should arrange for someone from your whānau or a friend to stay with you for at least 24 hours after you get home. We recommend that you rest and follow the instructions of your specialist and hospital staff.
Follow-up
In most cases you will need to make a follow-up appointment with your specialist if an appointment has not already been arranged for you by our staff. This is usually done by ringing your specialist within a day or so of leaving the hospital. If you have any problems before your appointment, please contact your general practitioner immediately.
Please ring your general practitioner if you require medical advice after your discharge.
Patient experience survey
Approximately one to two weeks after your hospital discharge, you will receive an email inviting you to complete an online patient experience survey. This survey is anonymous, unless you choose to be contacted and provide your contact details at the end of the survey. We review all the feedback we receive through this survey and use it to improve our services. We appreciate you taking the time to complete this.
Helpful recovery information
View our resources and brochures here for more helpful recovery information.
