The Western Hospital Day Procedure Units provide an excellent service both to the inpatient and outpatient population of Western Health. The units are proud to have a dedicated group of people working cohesively to provide a service that not only recognises the cultural diversity of the community but can also address their needs as an individual. Day Procedure Unit provides immense learning opportunities to everyone within our departments giving staff the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally.

Day Procedure Unit aspires to uphold the values of Western Health

Compassion: we care about the patients we look after, about the work that we do and we care about each other

Accountability: staff understand the responsibility when caring for patients

Respect:  recognition of the need to be courteous, friendly and respectful to everyone at all times

Excellence:  the unit strives for excellence in all aspects of work

Sincerity : to ensure that DPU is a safe place for staff and patients

 Please Click here for : Guidelines for Patients being treated in Day Procedure Units (51KB)

ADMISSIONS PATIENT JOURNEY

All patient attending Western Health DPU must be admitted. Admissions is divided into specific areas for the various medical specialities and different theatres. There is a mixture of both Clerical and nursing staff in the DPU / Admissions area.

Presentation

All Patients including those who are going directly to the Wards are initially seen by the Clerical staff to ensure that all paper work is completed in accordance with hospital policy.

Admission

The patient will be met by a member of the nursing team whose role is to monitor the patient from admission to discharge and to ensure that they receive the right care whilst at Western Health.
Nursing staff will discuss with the patient their medical condition ensuring that nothing has changed significantly since the patient was consented for their procedure.
It is important to remember that ALL patients who receive any form of sedation must be escorted home by a responsible adult and that this person is required to stay with the patient for twenty-four hours.

Theatre/Radiology

The patient Most patients walk to theatre or Radiology however, if required, patients can be transported using a hospital trolley or wheelchair. All patients will be dressed in a gown, dressing gown, theatre hat and 2 pairs of overshoes prior to going to theatre. 

Staff

Day Procedure Unit has a varied staff skill mix including specialist trained

Clinical Nurse Sepcialist

Division 1 Registered Nurses

Division 2 Registered Nurses

2 Admission Clerks & 1 Recovery Clerk

2 PSA

WORK AREA

ENDOSCOPY

Various procedures including bronchoscopies, TOE's, dermatology, gastroscopies and colonoscopies.

RECOVERY

Patients who are well enough to go home after their surgery/ procedure on the same day come to DPU.
Chung's modified scoring system is used to determine whether a patient is ready to go home post operatively. Everyone is treated on an individual basis unless the doctor/surgeon has specified particular instructions to be followed. The nurse caring for this patient is responsible for contacting the friend/relative to collect the patient.
The DPU unit has a dedicated recovery area for patients who have received an endoscopic procedure.

PROCEDURES

Endoscopy
Venesections
Lumbar Punctures
Ascitic Taps
Epidural
Same day theatre patients
Coronary Angiogram
Femoral Angiogram
Breast biopsies
CT Biopsies
Lung Biopsy
Liver Biopsy
Renal biopsy
Prostate Biopsy
Fistulogram
Ovarian Venogram
MRI

DISCHARGE PROCESS

Prior to discharge, patients will receive from the Discharge nurse their post operative care information; follow up appointments and an education pamphlet. Once the patient is ready and a friend/relative has arrived they will then be discharged.
The discharge nurse is responsible for contacting the surgical patients who attend DPU the day before - with a follow phone call.  DPUdo this as part of continuum of care.