Services at Whyalla Hospital and Health Service

Due to COVID-19, changes to services, visiting hours and visitor access now apply.

The following health services are available:

Medical and surgical services

General medical and surgical care services include:

• day surgery
• inpatient surgery
• intensive care unit
• palliative care and bereavement
• outpatient services
• pre-admission clinic

Our hospital has a combination of acute care beds, palliative care beds, day surgery beds and recliner chairs. Recliner beds are used for procedures such as elective day surgery, endoscopy or general chemotherapy.

Mental health services

For 24-hour emergency assistance and information, phone Emergency Triage and Liaison Service (ETLS) on 131 465.

The Whyalla Community Mental Health Team can be contacted on (08) 8644 5130.

Whyalla is the first regional community in South Australia to have both a specialised inpatient mental health facility and mental health rehabilitation service. Previously, these specialised services were only available in metropolitan Adelaide. These facilities will now enable regional consumers to stay closer to home and to their support networks.

Integrated Mental Health Inpatient Unit

The Integrated Mental Health Inpatient Unit features six single patient bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a comfortably furnished dining and lounge area, making the environment as welcoming and home-like as possible. The service includes a full time psychiatrist, which will bring benefits to all mental health consumers in the region.

Pictured (right): Garden area near mental health unit

Community Mental Health Rehabilitation Service

The Community Mental Health Rehabilitation Service is located in Whyalla and is available to people from anywhere in regional South Australia.

Mental health rehabilitation is the process of helping individuals develop skills, which may include re-acquiring old skills or learning new skills, so that they can achieve an optimal quality of life in their community of choice. It is for people who may already be living in the community or are returning home after treatment and may require some targeted assistance to achieve their goal to live independently.

The service operates using leased residential properties, fully furnished and suitable to place up to two people in a shared housing arrangement and is fully supported by a team of local health professionals and other support staff who will be visiting residents in their accommodation on a daily basis.

The Whyalla Mental Health Crisis Response – Stepped Model of Care recently won the Premier’s Health Award – Our Community at the 2017 SA Health Awards. 

Chemotherapy

You can now receive medium risk chemotherapy treatment in Whyalla under the care of the oncologist or haematologist that visits Whyalla.

Pictured (right): Chemotherapy area Flinders, Eyre & Far North chemotherapy services include:

• Coordination of your cancer care which can help you navigate the health system.
• Treatments including oral chemotherapy and intravenous infusion treatments in the chemotherapy unit or via slow release pumps.
• Access to a visiting oncology or haematology clinic at the Whyalla Cancer Centre.

Access to the Digital Telehealth Network equipment so you can have follow-up appointments with your oncologist or haematologist, this may reduce the need to travel for some appointments.

• Non-chemotherapy infusion centre services including pump disconnects, PICC and port flushes, and blood transfusions referred from any source.

See the New regional cancer services brochure (PDF 99KB) for more information.

Pictured (above right): Cancer Resource Centre

Cancer Resource Centre

The cancer resource centre is one of the largest in regional SA. It includes six chemotherapy chairs, outpatient care and counselling services. Patients have received treatment on more than 3,500 occasions in the centre, reducing the need to travel outside of the region for care.

Debra, a volunteer at the Cancer Resource Centre, talks about her own battle with cancer and explains the types of services and support that Whyalla Hospital provides to the local community.

Aboriginal health

Aboriginal patient Liaison Officer telephone: (08) 8648 8454
Nunyara Wellbeing Centre telephone: (08) 8649 4366

We work closely with Nunyara Wellbeing Centre, which is a support centre for the network of individual agencies and institutions committed to meeting community needs through increased resources, support and learning opportunities for youth, families and members of the Aboriginal community.

Nunyara provides culturally appropriate primary health care and health promotion programs for the Aboriginal community in Whyalla, as well as education and advice to help families access the services they need from government and mainstream services.

Maternity and obstetrics

Maternity ward telephone: (08) 8648 8441
Community midwifery: (08) 8648 8417

A shared care arrangement with GPs and community midwives assists women with care and treatment before, during and after childbirth. Specialised regional birthing program also available for teenage and Aboriginal girls, who can self-refer by contacting the community midwife. Paediatric care for overnight hospital stays, with boarding for parents encouraged.

Rehabilitation services

The regional rehabilitation service (Restorative and Rehabilitation Service) is available to clients across the north western region from Port Augusta to Port Lincoln and the far north and west. Clients will be assessed by a multi-disciplinary team and will participate in an intensive, time bound rehab service that is tailored to their goals and needs. 

Pictured (right): Courtyard and ramp at rehabilitation area

The primary objectives of the rehabilitation program are to:

• increase functional independence in activities of daily living
• work towards client and family goals utilising a holistic approach
• return to previous accommodation/work/leisure pursuits prior to recent injury or illness
• maximise client engagement and participation in the rehabilitation process.

The Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) service is targeted at those clients in Whyalla that are experiencing complex age-related conditions and are at risk of an acute medical crisis.  The primary objectives of this service are to:

• prevent functional decline
• maximise health status
• reduce risk of hospital admission.

Both services can be accessed by contacting the intake officer in Domiciliary Care on (08) 8648 8500.

Tele-rehab service

The tele-rehabilitation model was introduced in early 2017 to enable patients to return home sooner. Patients can access services with the use of iPads and a dedicated tele-rehab room in the hospital to receive treatment in a private and confidential environment. This also reduces the need for patients to travel.

Stroke services

Whyalla Hospital is one of three stroke services in regional South Australia, providing specialised treatment for suitable stroke patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, supported by metropolitan stroke units.

Clinicians located at regional hospitals will be able to call or videoconference with a neurologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital 24/7, enabling faster and more accurate decision making.

SA Ambulance Service will continue to ensure that stroke patients are taken directly to a metropolitan stroke unit hospital or regional stroke service where possible. 

Ambulance staff will notify the hospital about the patient’s arrival in advance, so that hospital staff are ready for the arrival and immediate assessment of the stroke patient.

Community health services

Telephone:  (08) 8648 8327

Services available include:

• physiotherapy
• podiatry
• occupational therapy
• speech pathology
• dietetics
• diabetic education / chronic disease co-ordination
• child health and development
• community health nursing
• cardiac and respiratory services
• social work
• palliative care services

Commonwealth Home Support program

Telephone: (08) 8648 8500

• home care/carer respite
• activity program
• Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT)
• home assist
• day centre
• community care packages.

Other services

Telephone: (08) 8648 8300

• Electrocardiography (ECG) and electroencephalography (EEG)
• echocardiography
• respiratory programs
• sleep apnoea
• visiting specialists.