Your stay

Our Clinic provides a high standard of accommodation. Patients have their own room with ensuite, there are group meeting rooms and dining facilities - with quality meals prepared by a great catering team.

Before your stay

You will receive a phone call from a team member to collect your health fund details and conduct a triage assessment. You will be asked to complete an online admission form.

On arrival

You will be greeted by staff and asked to complete a small amount of administrative paperwork and given an Admission Booklet which will provide you with further information.

If your private health cover requires you to pay an excess or co-payment, this will be required on admission.

Nursing staff will check your belongings for unsafe items such as razors and mirrors and will remove these to be stored securely.

You are requested to present any electrical items to be checked by the Clinic’s Maintenance Officer to ensure they are safe. There may be some delay before our maintenance team can attend to your items.

We want our hospitals to be safe, private places where people feel comfortable, well cared for and respected. That’s why we request certain standards of behaviour from all our visitors, patients and staff. Thank you for understanding of our Expectations on Entry.

You will be required to a sign some important documents confirming your acknowledgment of relevant Ramsay Clinic Cairns policies as well as reinforcing our commitment to you in providing a safe and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors:

Orientation

Our Clinic staff will show you to your room and give you an orientation of the Clinic. For security and safety reasons, the staff member will also collect all medications and prescriptions you have brought in, to hand over to nursing staff. (You may be required to transfer to another room or different Unit during your stay.)

Unit nursing staff will introduce themselves and explain routines relevant to your treatment and conduct a general admission assessment with you. This assessment - in conjunction with your treating Psychiatrist - will provide the basis for your admission care plan during your stay.

The first days of your admission are usually spent familiarising yourself with your new surroundings and starting to build a therapeutic rapport with your treating team and Unit staff.

Your admitting doctor will review you within 24 hours of admission. The Clinical Nurse will meet with you within the first 48 hours and your treatment team will work together to formulate your treatment plan.

Nursing staff will complete a Treatment Recovery Care Plan with you and your carer (if applicable), this will be reviewed minimally on a weekly basis.

During your stay

During your admission, you will be seen by members of our mental health team to assess and review your treatment and progress. Your psychiatrist will:

Assess your current and past mental health
Provide a diagnosis
Review and prescribe medications; and other treatments if required
Provide clinical governance and management of your inpatient care

To maximise the benefit of your inpatient stay, you are required to attend the various groups which are provided daily for at least 3 hours, during which you are provided with the opportunity to:

Understand mental health illnesses
Recognise symptoms so that in future, assistance can be sought earlier
Learn strategies to manage symptoms of mental health illnesses
Share and learn from others with shared experiences
Gain constructive feedback from supportive staff and peers

Housekeeping staff will clean your suite daily. Clean bed linen will be supplied weekly or as required. Clients are encouraged to make their own bed each day and to keep their suite in an orderly state to reduce the possibility of injury to staff. Fresh towels are available upon request.

There is a laundry which contains a washing machine and washing powder, clothes dryer and ironing board. Please see staff for an iron.

General information

The Clinic is secured at 10:30pm and re-opened at 6:00am. All emergency exits are alarmed.

For your own benefit, and in consideration for other clients, you are required to retire to bed by 11:00pm. Please speak to staff if you are unable to settle.

The Clinic is located in a residential area and the deck/garden areas face into neighbouring units. Please be considerate when sitting outside in these areas, particularly in the evenings, and keep noise to a minimum.

Please note, in accordance with Ramsay Health Care policy and National Safety Priorities in Mental Health, overnight leave cannot be granted under any circumstance. Patients can request day leave, subject to treating team approval.

The Clinic is a smoke-free campus.

Patients are not permitted to drive a vehicle while an inpatient. If your vehicle cannot be returned home by a relative or friend, please hand your keys to nursing staff who will secure them for the duration of your stay. You will be required to sign a form agreeing to these conditions.

The Private Patients Hospital Charter is available to everyone in the health care system. It allows patients, consumers, families, carers and providers to share an understanding of the rights of people receiving health care.

Dining and Activities

The dining room opens onto an outdoor deck overlooking the gardens and offers a selection of nutritionally-balanced meals.

Our Clinic values a holistic approach to health care and offers exercise equipment for patient use including a treadmill, exercise cycles and yoga mats. Please discuss your suitability to use this equipment with your treating doctor first. We have an exercise physiologist available to discuss any personal needs you might have regarding exercise and can provide a personalised exercise program for you to use here and at home.

Weekend therapies include art therapy and mindfulness relaxation. Each Unit has a patient lounge with large screen TV. A variety of board and card games, books and jigsaw puzzles are available.

There is a dedicated art room which patients can use for individual / self-directed art outside of group therapy times. Please check with staff re availability.