Overview
The Hospital in the Home program offers an alternative to a hospital admission. It gives you an opportunity to continue your hospital care in the comfort of your own home earlier than would otherwise have been possible. You might be visited at home or in residential care, or you might come to the clinic.
If our staff will be visiting your home, you must provide a safe space for them to work. You must remain contactable by phone while you are in the program.
Participation is voluntary. You will be asked to sign a consent form agreeing to be involved in the program. If you are interested in Hospital in the Home, please speak to your treating doctor or nurse. They will advise if you can be cared for safely in your own home.
We manage a range of conditions, including, but not limited to:
- complex wound dressings
- medications
- anti-coagulant management
- urinary tract infections
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- post operative and surgical care
- cellulitis
- pneumonia
- diabetes management
- geriatric evaluation management, including prehabilitation, acute rehabilitation, and early discharge support for laproscopic day surgery procedures
- neonatal HITH, which includes feeding support for premature, underweight babies and phototherapy.
Some private health insurers will cover some, or all, of this service.
Getting here
Find us at:
300 Princes Highway
Werribee Victoria 3030
For more information on getting here, visit Werribee Mercy Hospital .
Location details
Continuing Care Centre.
How can people get access?
From the hospital’s main corridor via the reception desk.
Parking
Parking is available at the Werribee Mercy Hospital site. A pick-up and drop-off zone at the main entrance is also available.
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.
Opening hours
Seven days a week, 365 days of the year, 8am-8pm
Your appointment
What to do before
Before you can receive care at home, you must:
- talk to your doctor about being transferred into the Hospital in the Home program
- sign a consent form agreeing to participate in the Hospital in the Home program
- check if your private health insurance will cover Hospital in the Home (if you have private health insurance and you want to use it)
- ensure your GP’s contact details are correct.
What to bring
- Medicare card
- List of medicines you are currently taking, including medicines you have bought without a prescription, such as herbal supplements and vitamins
- Health care card and/ or concession card (if you have one)
- Private health insurance card (if applicable, or you want to use it)
- Referral letter from your doctor, if applicable.
What to expect on the day
Our resident doctor will see you on your first admission into the program and will discuss a care plan with you. Allow approximately one hour for the first discussion.
The treating team will discuss the frequency of your home visits or visits to the clinic. These may vary depending on your care needs. The nursing team will advise you of the planned times for home visits. You must be home during these times. Please keep all pets in a separate room or outside during the visit.
The duration of home visits may vary depending on your care needs. We might arrange for telehealth instead, where appropriate. The nursing staff will give you more information.
We will provide all medication and equipment that you need for your HITH stay.
We will give you a handout with 24/7 contact details, in case your health deteriorates or you have concerns. In an emergency, go directly to an Emergency Department or call 000.
More information
Team Composition
Throughout your experience you will be supported by our dedicated nursing staff who will coordinate your care requirements with the following health practitioners:
- nurses
- neonatal nurses
- doctors
- dietitians
- social workers
- physiotherapists
- occupational therapists
- home phlebotomy services
- lactation consultants
- pastoral care
- diabetes nurse educators
- pharmacists
- care workers.
Interpreter services are available if required.
What questions should you ask
Please ensure all pets are secured temporarily in a separate room, or outside, during home visits.
Discharge information
Before being transferred to the HITH program, the treating doctors will assess whether you are ready to receive care at home. Once you are cleared for transfer, we will inform you about your ongoing care and follow-up.
For health professionals
The Hospital in the Home program offers an alternative to a hospital admission, providing an opportunity to receive hospital care in the patient’s own home, depending on the level of care required. Participation is voluntary and patients are required to sign a consent form agreeing to be involved in the program.
The admitting doctor needs to agree to a patient’s admission to the program. The patient’s condition must be of a nature that can be easily cared for safely in the community setting.
Procedural information
Patients can be referred to HITH internally, through direct ward transfer.
External referrals can be made through direct transfer. This will enable the patient to bypass the Emergency Department and present to the HITH clinic at Werribee Mercy Hospital. External referrers can contact the HITH team on 0419 389 127 to discuss a referral.
What/when you should refer to us
Mercy Health currently provides HITH services for the following treatments:
- Complex wound care (negative pressure wound devices)
- Cellulitis treated with intravenous antibiotics
- Preoperative/ bridging clexane and re-warfarinasation
- Drain tube management
- Intravenous antibiotics, including by Baxter infusion
- Urinary tract infection management
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management
- Congestive cardiac failure management including optimisation of medications
- Pneumonia requiring active management
- Diabetes management, including titration of medication and education
- Neonatal HITH for feeding support and phototherapy
What/when you should not refer to us
- Simple dressings
- Central line management without IV antibiotics
- Subcutaneous injections without warfarin management
More information
Resources for you
https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-services/patient-care/acute-care/hospital-in-the-home — Additional information about the Hospital in the Home program.
Contacts
Hospital in the Home (HITH) Nurse Unit Manager
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Phone numbers:
Lara Kayiwa
0419 389 127
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