Your admission

If your General Practitioner or Specialist believes Calvary Mater Newcastle should be involved in your ongoing treatment or care, they’ll either refer you to the Calvary Mater Newcastle Emergency Department or submit Request For Admission documentation to the hospital’s admissions team.

If your referral has been forwarded to our admissions team will get in touch to organise your appointment.

Please note: The urgency of your appointment is determined by your General Practitioner or Specialist.

Calvary Mater Newcastle is part of Australia’s public health care system and offers hospital care to any Australian resident under Medicare arrangements.

Public patients

Under Medicare you can be treated as a public patient, at no charge, by a doctor appointed by the hospital. You can choose to be treated as a public patient even if you are privately insured.

Private patients

If you choose to be admitted as a private patient, you can be treated by the doctor of your choice – providing that doctor has a right to practice at this hospital. An Admissions Officer will meet with you to discuss your level of coverage and policy details.

Regardless of whether you have private health insurance or don’t have private health insurance, the hospital will provide you with an estimate of expected hospital charges. Knowing how much your treatment will cost is called Informed Financial Consent. For more information visit the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman website:

• Informed Financial Consent
• What does Medicare cover?
• What does Private Health Insurance cover?
• Private Health Insurance Facts and Advice

In this section you can learn a little more about the Doctors and Health Professionals at Calvary Mater Newcastle.

Calvary Mater Newcastle is part of the NSW Ministry of Health public health care system and offers hospital care to any Australian resident under Medicare and to residents of countries that have reciprocal arrangements.

Our team includes:

• Medical Officers: Consultants (Senior Doctors in a specialty), Registrars and Junior Medical Officers.
• Nursing and Midwifery: Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, Nurse Practitioners and Assistants in Nursing.
• Allied Health Team: Physiotherapists, Dieticians, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Social Workers and Psychologists, Pastoral Care, Pharmacists, Medical Imaging and Pathology.

At Calvary Mater Newcastle these various occupations work within a framework that ensures we provide you with timely, appropriate care in a safe and suitable setting.

Our model of care has an emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration and partnerships, and during your treatment you will find that the medical, nursing and allied health teams work in harmony and with you to assist your recovery.

Please review your admission documentation – which includes information about any dietary, fasting or medication requirements – and follow the instructions carefully.

We’ll also send you information detailing the time and location of your admission appointment.

If you have any concerns before your appointment, or any issues on the day, please contact Calvary Mater Newcastle using the telephone number on your admission documentation.

On the day of your admission please be sure to bring your:

• Admission documentation
• Medicare card (if you have one)
• Health care, pension or concession card (if you have one)
• Health fund details (if you have private insurance)
• An up-to-date list of all of the medications you’re currently taking
• All your medications in their original, labelled containers
• Any relevant doctors’ letters, reports or consent forms
• Any x-rays or other medical images
• General Practitioner’s (GP) contact details including name, address and contact number
• Physical and mobility aids
• Nightwear, dressing gown, non-slip slippers, comfortable clothes and toiletries
• A letter of Work Cover approval, Third Party or Public Liability claims (if applicable)
• A small amount of money for newspapers and incidentals, and a pen to fill out menus
• Earphones/headphones for use of the TV/radio

Please note: During your stay at Calvary Mater Newcastle your property is your own responsibility and we do not recommend bringing any personal valuables.

Patient admission appointments take place at various locations. Please check your admission documentation for details.

Parking and transport

What happens after your admission will depend on the reason for your visit, but we’ll keep you informed every step of the way.

When your admission is complete you’ll be fitted with an identification band to be worn at all times during your stay. The band is used to check your identity to ensure you receive the correct medications, tests and procedures.

During your stay you may move between ward areas on one or more occasions. Each time you pass from one clinical area to another a formal handover of your care will occur.

Your family can accompany you through your admission and be ready for you when your procedure is completed or you are admitted to your ward accommodation.

Depending on your situation, your family may also be able to stay beyond visiting hours. But this should be discussed with a member of your care team.

Visiting hours

Calvary Mater Newcastle is a smoke free zone.

Patients, families and visitors cannot smoke anywhere on the Calvary Mater Newcastle campus including outside entrances, hospital grounds, car parks, buildings and vehicles.

We can help

If you smoke, please inform your care team and also consider whether this is a good time to quit smoking.

If you would like to quit smoking, we can help

A hospital stay provides you with different routines and extensive peer support that can help you break your smoking habits and start to cope without cigarettes.

While you are a patient in Calvary, Nicotine Replacement Therapy and other forms of support can be provided to help you stop smoking.

We also offer ongoing support and assistance after you leave Calvary.

Find out more from the NSW Health website.

You have a right to receive safe and high-quality health services. Our Clinical Safety and Quality is benchmarked against National Clinical Safety and Quality Standards.

The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) publishes regular independent reports about how NSW public hospital and ambulance services are performing. Visit BHI to see how Calvary Mater Newcastle is performing.

The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights describes what consumers, or someone they care for, can expect when receiving health care.

Tell us if you’re worried (REACH program)

If a patient or their family or carer is concerned about changes in the patient’s condition while they are in hospital, it’s important that you tell us.

First talk with a nurse or doctor caring for the patient.

You can request a clinical review, which means a doctor will come to check the patient’s condition, generally within 30 minutes.

If you are still worried, you can escalate your concerns at any hour of the day or night by making a REACH call. Dial 44994 from the patient’s bedside phone or another phone in the hospital ward. You can also call from a mobile or home phone to 4014 4994.

REACH is a communication process developed by the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission. It stands for Recognise, Engage, Act, Call, Help is on its way.

When you call, you will need to tell us the patient’s name, ward and bed number and why you have called.

A REACH clinician will come to the patient’s bedside to speak to you and address your concerns.

Further information can be found here.

Privacy of your personal information is governed by the Privacy Act 1988 and in addition Calvary has its own Privacy Policy which has been drafted in conjunction with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

If you have any concerns, or would like to make a comment on your care at Calvary Mater Newcastle, we encourage you to speak, in the first instance, with the staff in the ward/unit or discuss your concerns with the doctor.

At Calvary Mater Newcastle, a complaint about privacy, or any other issue, is managed in the following way:

• To make a complaint, you may register a complaint online.
• You can also download or complete a ‘We value your feedback’ leaflet available in all wards and in public areas at Calvary Mater Newcastle.
• You can also make a complaint in writing and address it to:

General Manager
Calvary Mater Newcastle
Awabakal Country
Locked Mail Bag 7
Hunter Region Mail Centre, NSW, 2310

• Please note, it is important you tell us what you expect to occur as a result or your complaint. This will assist staff in resolving your complaint. For example, you may want a change to occur that will prevent other patients or clients experiencing the same issue. If we are unable to meet your expected outcome, you will be advised of this, including the reason why.

• Your complaint will be acknowledged within five days of receipt.

• Your complaint should be resolved within 35 days after receipt of complaint although more complex complaints may take longer. Management will advise you if this is the case.

• Staff involved in complaints handling are required to treat all information as confidential. The name/s of complainants or any other identifying information will only be provided to staff involved in managing the complaint.

• When the complainant is not the patient, the patient’s authorisation is required before any information can be released in relation to their treatment.

• For more information about your privacy, rights and responsibilities go to:

Privacy Rights and Responsibilities

You have a right to access your personal information, subject to some exceptions allowed by law, and to request a change to your information if you consider it inaccurate.

If you’d like to access your personal information or medical records please contact the hospital’s Clinical Information Department.

We may charge a fee for searching for and providing access to your information.

Authority for Release of Information 2024

Return your completed form by fax to 02 4014 4826 or by post to:

Health Information Services (mailbox 25)
Calvary Mater Newcastle
Awabakal Country
Locked Mail Bag 7
Hunter Region Mail Centre NSW 2310

You won’t be discharged from Calvary Mater Newcastle until it’s safe for you to leave. Your safety will be assessed against:

• Your condition
• The availability of personal and social support
• Your residential situation
• Your mobility
• Access to communications if an emergency arises

Planning your discharge

Before your planned admission, or as soon as possible after an emergency admission, your care team will talk to you about a planned discharge date.

When you’re discharged you will be provided with a Formal Discharge Summary, and your care team will give you information about follow-up appointments with your General Practitioner or Specialist.

We’ll give you a short-term supply of any new medications prescribed by Calvary.

If you have a serious illness or major surgery, you’ll receive a call from the Discharge Planning Team within two weeks of returning home. We’ll check on your recovery and discuss any concerns you have about your health.

1. Who is picking you up from hospital?

On your discharge day you’ll need to arrange to be picked up by a family member or friend before 10am.
Please let us know so we can discuss alternative options, including Calvary Community Care Hospital to Home.

2. Have you made a follow-up appointment with your Doctor?

You need to make a follow up appointment with your Doctor as advised by your care team.

3. Have you discussed your medication?

Please make sure you have discussed your discharge medication with your care team. A medication review will be arranged if necessary.

After coming home from hospital you may have new medications to take. Please follow the instructions carefully and avoid making any mistakes with your medication. Visit NPS Medicinewise for more information, or call your GP to discuss your medications.

4. Do you need care when you get home?

Hospital in the Home provides acute care for patients in their own home.

You remain an admitted patient, but return home and either get visited regularly by Calvary clinicians who deliver certain treatments in your home setting, or attend an outpatient clinic.

It’s a safe and efficient substitution for in-hospital care for a wide range of conditions.

Calvary Community Care can help discharged patients with transport home, cooking, grocery shopping, dressing, showering and household tasks.

Community Care can also provide 24 hour personal care, respite care, home maintenance and modification and safety products linked to 24/7 monitoring.

There may be a charge for Calvary Community Care services, or they may be provided partially or completely under a government assistance package.

Calvary Community Care

If you have any compliments, complaints or suggestions, please let us know so we can improve our service.

You can do this by:

• Talking to any of our staff
• Providing feedback online
• Completing a ‘We value your feedback’ leaflet available in all wards and in public areas at Calvary Mater Newcastle
• Writing to the General Manager, Director of Medical Services or Director of Nursing Services
• Contacting the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission