Overview
Haemodialysis and Haemodialfiltration treatments are offered to patients with end-stage kidney failure depending on the prescription of a nephrologist (kidney specialist).
The unit is open Monday to Saturday.
You will receive about three treatments a week, with allocated days and times. Treatment takes about three to five hours each time. During your treatment you can read, use a laptop, watch TV, sleep or chat with other patients and staff.
Getting here
Find us at:
300 Princes Highway
Werribee Victoria 3030
For more information on getting here, visit Werribee Mercy Hospital .
Location details
Enter via the Werribee Mercy Hospital main entrance. The Renal Dialysis Unit is located on the ground floor, opposite Zouki Café and next to the Day Procedure Unit.
On-site signage and indicators
Look for the Renal Dialysis Unit signs on-site.
How can people get access?
Parking
Parking is available at the Werribee Mercy Hospital site. A pick-up and drop-off zone at the main entrance is also available.
There are car parking spaces reserved for renal dialysis patients. Please speak to staff or the car park attendant for more information about these parking spaces.
The nearest car park is the main entrance car park which is accessed via the main hospital entrance on Hoppers Lane. Parking spaces are limited in the main entrance car park.
If the main entrance car park is full, additional parking is available in the multi-storey car park at the back of the hospital. This car park can be accessed from the Princes Highway, after the Emergency Department entrance.
Parking costs are available on the main hospital information page.
Accessible parking is available in the main entrance car park for patients and visitors who hold a valid disability parking permit. Accessible parking is also available near entrances to the Emergency Department, Outpatient Clinic and Maternity Unit.
Patient bus service
The Werribee Mercy Hospital bus service is a free service to help you get around our hospital. The bus transports patients and visitors between the following locations:
- Multi-storey car park
- Hospital main entrance
- Gabrielle Jennings Centre (palliative care inpatient service)
- Outpatient Clinics
The bus operates seven days a week from 8.00am – 8.00pm.
If you need the bus service, please call (03) 8754 3000 to arrange transport.
The Renal Dialysis Unit can be accessed by pressing the doorbell, which is located to the right of the glass entrance doors. Please ring the bell once and take a seat. Please be patient; our staff may be working with other patients and they will attend to you as soon as they have a chance.
Opening hours
Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6.30am-11.30pm
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 7am-8pm
Visitors are welcome to sessions once all patients have begun treatment.
Your appointment
What to do before
Your specialist or treating hospital will make your referral. Either Werribee Mercy Hospital or your current treating specialist hospital will notify you of your appointment time.
If you feel unwell before your appointment, contact your general practitioner or visit an Emergency Department.
In the event of an emergency we may contact you to change your appointment time or relocate you to another dialysis unit for your treatment.
What to bring
Please bring:
- your Medicare card
- your healthcare card or concession card (if you have one)
- your private health insurance card (if you have one and you want to use it)
- your adverse drug alert card
- any medicines you need to take while you are here
- a list of medications you are currently taking (or the boxes), including medicines you have bought without prescription, such as herbal supplements and vitamins
- your glasses, hearing aid, walking frame, walking stick or wheelchair if required
- comfortable clothes
- warm clothing, a pillow and a blanket in case you get cold during treatment
- something to keep you occupied, such as a book, magazine, tablet or laptop with headphones.
If you have a graft or fistula please ensure your sleeves are loose enough to roll up.
If you have a catheter in your chest, please wear a top that allows access.
What to expect on the day
Key instructions and facts you may want to know before your dialysis treatment:
- Please arrive about 10 minutes before your appointment time.
- Your healthcare professional will take charge of you when your chair and dialysis machine is ready.
- You will be encouraged to wash your fistula or graft site.
- You will be weighed.
- You will be shown to your chair.
- Your blood pressure and heart rate will be checked.
- Your access site will be cleaned with a cleaning solution.
- Needles will be placed in your graft or fistula to allow blood flow in and out. This may be uncomfortable at first.
- The needles are attached to tubing that connects to the dialysis machine.
- Your blood will flow through the tubing into the special filter (artificial kidney) and back into your body.
- Your session will last up to five hours.
- During treatment you can read, use a laptop or tablet, sleep, watch TV or chat with staff and other patients.
- A drink and snack(sandwich and biscuits) are provided midway through your treatment.
- Family members and friends are welcome to visit. We do prefer to limit visitor numbers for the comfort of the other patients.
- We request that all visitors wait outside until all patients have begun dialysis.
- We will ask all visitors to leave during emergencies, procedures and at the end of patients’ dialysis treatments in the interests of everyone’s safety.
More information
Team Composition
Some of the team members you may encounter during your visits include:
- nurses
- nephrologists
- junior doctors
- pastoral carers
- volunteers
- medical and nursing students.
What questions should you ask
- How much fluid will be removed during the session ?
- What are the results of my blood tests?
- are there any issues with the access ?
- I have an appointment or function that affects my treatment day and time , what can I do ?
- Can I have visitors ?
- Can I see a dietician ?
- Can I see a doctor ?
- How is my Blood pressure ?
- I would like to go on a holiday, what about my dialysis ?
- Can I drive after dialysis ?
Discharge information
- At the end of treatment your blood will be returned to you by the machine.
- Your needles will be removed.
- A dressing will be applied to needle sites for at least five minutes until bleeding has stopped.
- We will check your blood pressure (sitting and standing).
- You will be weighed.
- You may feel tired after your session.
Additional support
- Follow your fluid restrictions.
- Follow your dietary restrictions.
- Exercise wisely.
- If you feel tired after treatment, we recommend you arrange someone to take you home.
Opportunities to be involved in research
Research programs may be undertaken at the Renal Dialysis Unit. If you are asked to participate in research, we will explain the research and request your signed consent before we begin.
Who to call if you have concerns afterwards
Present to the Emergency Department if you notice:
- bleeding from your vascular access site
- signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, soreness, pain, warmth or pus around the site
- a fever
Always feel your access site (morning and night) and ensure that the thrill is present, if absent you should immediately present yourself to Emergency Department of your Specialist Hospital for urgent review.
Ruptured access, apply pressure to the site and call Triple Zero (000).
For health professionals
We are a community satellite dialysis unit.
We are open Monday to Saturday.
We offer twilight shifts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5-11.30pm.
We do primary nursing.
We use the Fresenius 5008 dialysis machine.
Currently we have a 1:4 staff-to-patient ratio.
Procedural information
Haemodialyis
Haemodiafiltration
How to prepare the patient
To prepare your patient:
- arrange a pre-dialysis visit.
- inform them about access, fluid management, diet and medications.
More information
Make a referral
Access Renal Dialysis referral forms and guidelines to make a referral for this service.
Contacts and emergency
Emergency contacts at this hospital
Emergency Department
- Website: Emergency Department
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Address:
300 Princes Highway
Werribee Victoria 3030
-
About:
The Werribee Mercy Hospital Emergency Department provides urgent assessment and treatment for people of all ages, and for all conditions.
For non-urgent conditions, there are general practitioners (GPs) located near the hospital who are available until late in the evening.
If you are unsure about your condition, or you are concerned about a family member, come to the Emergency Department.
Other contacts at this hospital
Renal Dialysis Unit at Werribee Mercy Hospital
-
Phone numbers:
Renal Dialysis Unit at Werribee Mercy Hospital
0387543444
- Email address: [email protected]
- Website: Renal Dialysis Unit at Werribee Mercy Hospital
-
About:
Please call or email for referrals in to the Renal Dialysis unit.
Main Reception at Werribee Mercy Hospital
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Phone numbers:
Main Reception at Werribee Mercy Hospital
03 8754 3000
6.30am—8.30pm Monday to Friday
8am—8.30pm Saturday, Sunday and public holidays
-
About:
Please call this number for all general enquires regarding Werribee Mercy Hospital services & patient enquires.
Other places to get help
Department of Health and Human Services
- Website: www2.health.vic.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-services/patient-care/rehabilitation-complex-care/renal-health
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About:
Information on how Victoria’s renal health system provides coordinated statewide services for people with chronic kidney disease.
Kidney Health Australia
- Website: kidney.org.au
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About:
A not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping people with kidney disease, with a view to improving their health outcomes and quality of life, and that of their families and carers.
Kidney Health Australia CARI
- Website: www.cari.org.au
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About:
KHA-CARI Guidelines seeks to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients with kidney disease in Australia & New Zealand by facilitating the development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines based on the best available evidence and effectiveness.
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