Helping you to support the patient

Many of our patients are supported by family and carers. Here we aim to give useful information to the people supporting our patients.

Coming in for appointments

If you are coming in with a patient for an appointment, you can help in the following ways:

• Make sure you know the name of the clinic or department you are going to - check the patient's referral letter
• Plan how you will get to the hospital and give yourself plenty of time to find parking if you are driving
• Check the best entrance to use and how to get around the hospital.
• If you arrive early there are lots of cafes and shops where you can relax and wait until your appointment time. You should aim to be at the relevant department or clinic 10 minutes before.
• Bring any information you may be asked for - check your referral letter for advice on this. You will also find useful information under the relevant clinical service webpage.
• Prepare to ask questions and help your relative or friend to take an active role in and influence their own healthcare.

Preparing for admission

If your relative of friend has a planned admission, there is lots you can do to help them feel well prepared for coming in to the hospital. See our preparing for your stay page for lots of helpful information.

If you are coming in with your relative or friend on the morning of admission, remember to give yourself plenty of time. The hospital campus is big and it can take time to find your way around. Check your referral letter to see where you should go when you come in. Avoid extra stress on the morning of admission by planning how you will get here and how to find the correct ward or department.

During admission

Visiting

We welcome visitors and know that visits are important to patients comfort while in the hospital. Read our guidelines for visitors to learn how you can protect your relative or friend and other patients on the ward when visiting the hospital.

Visiting times are 2pm to 4pm and 6.30pm to 8pm. Some exceptions are made under special circumstances - read our visiting times page for more detail.

Family rooms

Our family rooms offer patients and families a quiet, private space, set apart from the busy ward. We currently have eight family rooms around the hospital. Our goal is to eventually have family rooms on every ward in the hospital. Read more about our family rooms and how you can help.

End of life care

Supporting people at the end of their lives is an important part of the Mater Hospital’s service. This involves providing the best of care for people during their last few days, weeks or months to ensure their comfort and dignity. It also involves supporting their family and friends through this difficult time. Read more about the services we provide to support patients and families on our end of life care page.

Hostel accommodation for relatives

The hospital provides limited accommodation for relatives of those that are critically unwell or in very specific circumstances. Our staff will let you know if this is something that is available to you.

Leaving the hospital

We have a lot of useful information to help carers and families prepare for patients returning home, or moving on to continuing care. Remember, we will only discharge patients when all the necessary arrangements are in place for them.

Patient liaison service

The patient liaison service offers confidential help and advice for patients, families and carers. We have a team of three patient liaison officers who can help you in many ways.

This includes:

• Providing information about hospital services
• Listening and responding to your questions, concerns or complaints
• Advising about our formal complains process and independent support services

Read more about our patient liaison service.

Get to Know Me

The getting to know me profile will help staff support loved ones. It will help us to get to know the patient better to understand who and what is important, and how the patient likes things to be. Please download the form and fill in as much details as you can. Please return the form to us in person, or post to the relevant ward.