If you require surgery, it will be:
- emergency surgery — immediate surgery for a medical emergency
- elective surgery — surgery scheduled in advance because it does not involve a medical emergency.
We provide a range of general emergency and elective surgeries at Werribee Mercy Hospital (WMH).
In a medical emergency
Patients requiring emergency surgery will be seen to in the most appropriate amount of time, based on clinical assessment and the associated urgency of your needs.
Elective surgery at Werribee Mercy Hospital (WMH)
If you require elective surgery at Werribee Mercy Hospital, first visit your general practitioner or medical specialist. They may refer you to the Werribee Mercy Hospital Outpatient Department. From here, you will be triaged. Triage involves an assessment to determine how urgently you require care, from most urgent to least urgent need. If an operation is required, you will be placed on an elective surgery waiting list.
A range of elective surgical specialties are offered at Werribee Mercy Hospital including:
- general surgery
- ear, nose and throat
- vascular
- urology
- obstetrics
- gynaecology
- urogynaecology
- orthopaedics
- gastroenterology
- respiratory.
On the day of your elective surgery, you must visit the Day Procedure Unit, and go to the Day Surgery admissions reception desk. This department is located in the main hospital corridor. If you are staying overnight, after you have had your surgery you will be cared for on our surgical unit, which is also located off the main corridor of the hospital.
Contacts
In case of emergency, call 000
Day Procedure Unit & Day of Surgery Admission
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Phone numbers:
Day Procedure Unit & Day of Surgery Admission
03 8754 3530
We are available to consult over the phone during business hours. You will be instructed to press, ‘1’ for DOSA, ‘2’ for DPU, or ‘3’ for all after hours calls. - Phone number: 03 8754 6450
- Opening hours: Monday-Friday, 7am-8pm
Validation of the Surgical Waitlist
We regularly contact patients who are waiting for an appointment. This is called a waitlist audit.
Contacting you during the waitlist audit process helps us to:
- ensure your details are correct
- ask if you still require our specialist care
- provide advice where necessary for urgent care
If you are waiting for appointments from more than one specialty, you will receive separate communication for each.
How will we contact you?
If you have provided your mobile number, we will send you a text message.
Why do we need this information?
We need this information to ensure:
- we have your current contact details. If your details have changed, please contact the hospital to update your details.
- you still require our care
You will need to respond with ‘Yes’ if you still require our care.
You will need to respond with ‘No’ if you no longer require your appointment.
For example, if you have been treated elsewhere or if you have improved.
What happens if you do not reply?
If you do not reply to our first text message, we will send you a text message reminder. If we still do not receive a response, we will try to reach you via an alternative contact detail you have listed, including contacting your General Practitioner (GP).
What happens once I responded? If you respond with 'No'
- If you answer ‘No’ to requiring your appointment, we will remove you from our waiting list. Any future need will require a new referral from your GP.
- If you require appointments for more than one specialty, you will receive separate communication from us for each specialty. Please make sure you check the speciality before responding to the text message.
If you respond with 'Yes'
- If you say ‘Yes’ to requiring your appointment, we will contact you when we are ready to offer an appointment.
- We continue to work with our specialists to reduce your waiting time.
What happens if my condition changes or deteriorates while waiting for a specialist clinics appointment?
We recommend you contact your General Practitioner (GP).
In the case of an emergency, please attend the nearest hospital Emergency Department.
Last reviewed October 23, 2017.