Critical Care
Emergency Department
The Calvary Mater Newcastle Emergency Department has over 40,000 presentations a year. The department has a strong education program for junior medical officers, and is accredited as a 12-month teaching hospital.
Emergency Department research projects include:
- Partnership with Hunter New England Local Health District’s Mater Mental Health Centre to improve pathways for patients who require fast track to the District’s Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre.
- Expanded the Aged Care in Emergency (ACE) project to the Tomaree Peninsula.
- Continuing involvement in the Access Block Prevalence Study.
- Participation in the Alcohol and Harm Study.
- Emergency department violence prevention management.
- Hospital avoidance strategies for venous embolism.
Intensive Care Unit
The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a 6-bed Level 5 unit with a fully electronic bedside recording system. The ICU continues to be an active member of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) Clinical Trials Group, participating in several multi-centre, international research projects. Our department continues to recruit into the ProMedic trial, using melatonin to prevent delirium.
Surgery
The Department of Surgical Oncology is the branch of surgery that focuses on the surgical management of cancer.
We provide elective and emergency services, with a broad range of procedures for breast cancer, melanoma, liver cancer, gynaecological cancer and colorectal cancer.
Our team is involved with colorectal screening through the District Access Program with clinical trials for advance melanoma, checkpoint inhibitors, targeted therapies and immunotherapy. There have been major increases in the number of reconstructive and oncoplastic procedures for breast cancer, with free flap microsurgical reconstruction. Our department also provides access for endoscopy, bone marrow biopsies and other diagnostic services.
Anaesthetics
As part of the department, the Preoperative Clinic provides vital access to people living with mental illness who require electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Our pre-procedure process enhances the journey for every patient by collating, analysing and communicating information from multiple sources. Our aim is to make every patient’s experience safe, appropriate, effective, efficient and positive. Our research work centres on this priority aim.
Our department has recently implemented changes in keeping with the NSW Perioperative Toolkit as a quality improvement initiative. These changes ensure that the patient’s underlying medical health status and social circumstances are taken into consideration, alongside the impact of the intended surgery/procedure and anaesthesia. We are evaluating a new ‘prehabilitation’ program is currently being implemented within the service to ensure that patients are as physically and psychologically ready as possible as they start their surgical journey.
