Hospitals see patients in the order of how urgent their condition is. This means we see patients with the most serious or life threatening illness or injury before patients with less serious problems.
Your appointment letter will tell you the date of your appointment or operation, and where to go.
We try to see patients on time, but sometimes emergencies mean we need to reschedule. If we need to change the time of your appointment or operation, we’ll let you know as early as possible. We’ll fit you in as soon as we can.
Before your operation, you might see several specialists. You can ask them any questions about your operation and recovery. They'll be happy to talk to you about any part of your treatment.
You can't eat or drink before your operation. We’ll tell you how long you’ll need to go without food or water in your appointment letter. It's usually at least 6 hours before you have your operation. You can check this with your doctor.
You may need to get more tests done including another physical check. Your anaesthetist may also order extra tests and will talk about the anaesthesia with you. They might give you some medicine just before your operation to help you feel sleepy and relaxed.
We might ask you to remove any false teeth and jewellery.
You usually need to arrive several hours before your operation. We’ll tell you what time to arrive the day before your operation.
Once you settle in, a nurse will check you over. Your anaesthetist may also visit you.
They’ll review your health history questionnaire and ask you more questions, such as:
Right before your operation, we’ll take you to the operating room to have the anaesthetic. The type of anaesthetic depends your surgery and your health.
Having anaesthesia can cause side effects and complications such as:
You can talk about these with your GP or specialist.
After your operation we’ll take you to a recovery room. You might not remember this because of the medicines you've had.
If you had local anaesthetic for a small procedure, we’ll discharge you soon after your surgery. You might stay longer if you’ve had a general anaesthetic.
You'll need to have a friend or family member drive you home.
If you've had sedatives, pain relievers or general anaesthesia, you may feel drowsy after your procedure.
This is because a small amount of the anaesthetic may remain in your body. This can slow your reaction time and impair your judgement for the next 24 hours. It's a good idea to have someone with you for the first 24 hours after your anaesthetic or surgery.
During this time, you shouldn't:
If you're eligible for Medicare, your operation is free. If you're not eligible for Medicare, you'll need to pay all hospital charges before you have your operation. How much it costs, depends on the type of surgery. Find out more about health costs, insurance and support.