Patients at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Emergency Department

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Emergency Department (ED) is open 24-hours a day, providing health care to more than 42,000 people of all ages each year, who have life-threatening and non-life threatening emergencies.

When you arrive at the ED you will be seen by a senior nurse to collect information and assess your illness or injury.

After seeing the triage nurse, you will be asked to see the ED Receptionists who will ask you a number of questions pertaining to your personal demographic data (for instance, name, date of birth, address, local doctor, contact person, person responsible). You may be asked to wait in the waiting room. Your waiting time will depend on the business of the department and the number of patients with serious conditions. The waiting area may appear quiet but this doesn’t necessarily mean the ED itself is quiet.

While waiting for medical treatment in the ED, you will be continuously assessed and monitored by qualified nursing staff. We understand that waiting can be frustrating, and our staff will do their best to keep your wait to a minimum and make you comfortable.

In our ED, you will be cared for by trained medical, nursing, support and volunteer staff who will try to ensure your needs are met.

Admission and discharge

The Admissions department are our front line and first point of contact for patients coming in for a procedure. It is of significant importance that patients are processed as quickly and accurately as possible to allow them an efficient and smooth transition to their respective surgical suites.

Admission

A bracelet identification band will be issued to all patients for their admission, and needs to be worn throughout their stay. Patients should tell their doctor or a nurse of any allergies they have to antibiotics, medication or food, as well as any medication they take at home.

Personal effects and valuables

Patients should not bring any valuables or money with them to hospital, other than a small amount for newspapers or magazines. If they must bring valuables, the patient can ask a member of the nursing staff to deposit the items with the cashier for safekeeping.

Patients are required to bring any or all of the following items for identity verification upon admission: Medicare cards, pension cards, healthcare cards (reciprocal), private health insurance cards, veterans affairs cards and PBS safety net ID’s.

Any electrical equipment that is brought into the hospital needs to be tested for electrical safety by the hospital engineering staff before use. Please see the clerk in your ward to arrange testing of any electrical equipment.

Discharge

Discharges are usually made in the morning by 10 am. Please arrange your own transport from hospital, regardless of how you arrived. Please have your transport arrangements made the day prior to your discharge to avoid unnecessary inconvenience, as you may have to wait in the patient discharge lounge if your bed is required for another patient.

Prior to discharge, please ensure that you have received prescriptions for medications and information for follow up appointments.

Please note: All patients irrespective of their admission status are obliged to pay for prescribed medication administered through the hospital upon discharge.

Patients and/or carers need to make sure they clearly understand all discharge instructions.

Patient transport

Transport home

Patients can only leave hospital by ambulance if it is medically necessary.

Please plan ahead and make private arrangements for your trip home if you are well enough to travel by car or public transport.

The Red Cross may be able to help patients via The Red Cross Transport Service. For more information regarding the South Australia Red Cross Transport Service please call (08) 8100 4500.

Patient Assistance Transport Scheme (PATS)

The Patient Assistance Transport Scheme provides some financial reimbursement to country patients and approved escorts with the cost of travel and accommodation when they are required to travel over 100 kilometres (each way) to receive specialist medical treatment that is not available at their nearest centre.

Patient entertainment/TV vouchers

Bedside computers have now been installed and are fully operational for patient entertainment in 12 hospitals including The Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The bedside entertainment services are provided by Telstra and give patients access to a number of different entertainment options on a pre-paid basis.

For information on the bedside entertainment package options please go to our bedside entertainment page.

Patients with special needs

Disability & Complex Care Clinical Practice Consultant (CPC) at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

The Disability and Complex Care CPC is responsible for providing an expert consultative service to wards, units and departments across the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) and services in the care of clients with physical, sensory, intellectual, or special needs disabilities. The CPC has a sound knowledge of the complexities associated with disabilities and also works collaboratively with community and government agencies to promote positive outcomes, and the safe transfer of care for each client back into the community.

The CPC provides clinical leadership within each of the organisations to assist in the clinical management, education, co-ordination and support for clients with disabilities as well as staff in consultation with other relevant healthcare professionals.

Accounts and finance

Public patients

No fees apply for patients admitted to the hospital as a public patient (up to 35 days), then from 36th day, depending on whether the treating Doctor deems them to still require acute care or not, they will be reverted to a nursing home type patient and are charged $56.50 (this fee changes periodically as per fees and charges manual) per day until discharge.

There are also fees for discharge medication.

Private patients

At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital you can choose to be admitted as a Private Patient.Admission as a private patient has benefits for both you and the hospital. For more information please visit the The Queen Elizabeth Hospital private patients information page.

Privacy and confidentiality

Medical records

When you visit any CALHN service, we record your visit and any treatment provided to you in your medical record. This helps to make sure that staff can communicate with each other to provide you with the best care possible.

The information kept includes your personal details, health status, medical and social history.

Privacy

As an agency of SA Health, CALHN complies with a set of Privacy Principles under the Code of Fair Information Practice.

This means that CALHN takes all reasonable steps to ensure that any information about you:

  • is accurate and up to date
  • contains only relevant details about you
  • is only provided to those people who need it to treat and care for you or have responsibilities related to your treatment and care
  • is protected from misuse and unauthorised access or disclosure to others, that is, it is treated confidentially.

Providing your information to others

The hospital will comply with the confidentiality provisions of the Health Care Act 2008 when releasing your information, such as when we are required by law to release the information, for example Centrelink are legally entitled to certain information.

Access to records

There may be times when you want to access your medical records and this is usually done through a Freedom of Information (FOI) application.

To find out more about making a FOI application please see the FOI section below.

Code of Fair Information Practice

If you see your GP and they need to access your records to help them continue your care or treatment they may ask for your information as long as they have your permission and identify who they are by sending a fax on their letterhead to the Medical Record Department.

Freedom of Information

There are times when you might want to access your records for your own information.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act generally gives you the right to access your personal records. You can request your records personally or through another person. If you believe that your records are incorrect, out of date or misleading you can ask for your records to be amended.

To find out more about making a FOI application and the fees and charges that apply, or get an application form, you can telephone the Freedom of Information Officer on (08) 8222 7275 or email Health.TQEHFOI@sa.gov.au.

Further information

If you are concerned about how your personal information is being managed or you have difficulties in accessing your records, talk with staff at your clinic or phone the Client Relations Unit for advice on (08) 8222 9084.

You can also contact:

Privacy Committee of South Australia
GPO Box 2343 Adelaide SA 5001
Telephone: (08) 8204 8786
Website: State Records SA

Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner
PO Box 199 Rundle Mall SA 5000
Telephone: (08) 8226 8666 or 1800 232 007
Website: Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner (HCSCC) SA

Quality improvement and patient safety

Patients and carers have an important role to play in the safe delivery of health care. As a partner with the hospital, patients and carers should be involved in making decisions about their own health care, be aware of and exercise their healthcare rights and be engaged in their health care and treatment decisions. Further information regarding health care rights can be obtained from the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner website.

The hospital strives to provide patient centred, up-to-date, safe and quality care. The hospital is accredited against the ten National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and has a programme in place to monitor compliance with the Standards. Further information regarding the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards can be obtained for the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Consumer Advisory Service

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is committed to providing a safe and high quality health care service that meets the needs and expectations of the community it serves.

It is important that we continually improve service delivery for our patients and their loved ones, therefore we value feedback from patients, family members and carers.

Your compliments, complaints and suggestions assist us in reviewing and enhancing the way we provide care.

More information about this process and contact details can be found on the TQEH consumer feedback and complaints web page.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Consumer Advisory Group

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital values consumer input into the development of key aspects about services, initiatives and safety and quality.

One way that it gains information from consumers is through The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Consumer Advisory Group.

The role of the Consumer Advocates Group at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is to provide the Strategic Executive of Central Adelaide with advice from a consumer perspective about key aspects of operational activities, initiatives, new or modified services that impact on consumers of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital services.

The responsibilities include:

  • contribute and support Improving Consumer Experience Action Plan 2014
  • contribute to consumer input into patient information publications
  • participating in design and/or redesign of health services including new of changed services at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
  • contribute to the analysis of meaningful safety and quality performance data and contribute to service improvement initiatives
  • providing a forum for participation in the analysis of patient feedback data and the development and implementation of activities related to this
  • provide representation on work groups and/or projects requiring consumer input.

Consumer involvement is essential to safe and responsive health services and we welcome consumer support, feedback and comments.

Advance Care Directive

An Advance Care Directive is a legal form to record your wishes and instructions for your future health care, end of life, preferred living arrangements and other personal matters. It can also be used to appoint one or more adults to make these decisions for you. Your Advance Care Directive can only be used if you are unable to make your own decisions.The Advance Care Directive makes it easy for others to know what your wishes are when you are unable to make these decisions yourself. It also gives you peace of mind to know that your wishes are known and will be respected, if others need to make decisions for you

For information on Advance Care Directives including how to access an Advance Care Directive DIY Kit please see the Advanced Care Directive website or by calling 1300 366 424.