Home Hospital
Our Home Hospital service enables eligible patients to be transferred home and receive hospital standard care to complete their recovery. The service is managed by the SMHS Community Services program and was formerly known as Hospital in the Home (HITH).
While you are still considered a Fiona Stanley or Fremantle hospital patient, the Home Hospital service:
- enables you to receive safe, quality care in the comfort of your home or occasionally at our one of our Home Hospital clinics
- can reduce your length of hospital stay
- lessens the likelihood you will need emergency hospital care related to your condition.
This service is currently available to people across the south metropolitan catchment area who are patients at Fiona Stanley or Fremantle hospitals.
How Home Hospital works
Your hospital doctor can refer you to Home Hospital if you are medically stable and your treatment can be managed at home. Please note you cannot self-refer to this service – a hospital referral is required.
A nurse will contact you to plan your treatment and the Home Hospital team will work with your hospital treating team to ensure you receive the same standard of safe, quality hospital care you need to support your recovery.
It is important to remember that although you are receiving care at home, you are still considered a hospital patient. If you have family, carers and friends who can help you with personal care and household tasks this will further support your recovery.
Your rights and responsibilities
As a patient, you have the right to:
- be treated with respect and dignity regardless of religion, gender, age, or cultural ethnicity
- be informed about treatment plans and progress
- receive high quality care from medical, nursing, and allied health staff
- have your personal information remain confidential.
Your responsibilities are to:
- give written or verbal consent to be treated in your home environment
- ensure this environment is safe for hospital staff to visit, including:
- having a smoke/vape free environment
- keeping pets outside, or at least restrained
- ensuring there is enough lighting if you require a late afternoon or early evening visit
- ensure you are home for your booked visits
- accept and follow the treatment plan – you can call Home Hospital if you have any immediate concerns.
- keep all loan equipment safe and return it when you are discharged from this service.
Your discharge plan
Once you no longer require hospital-level care, your ongoing care will be transferred back to your GP or another community-based service, such as Silverchain. Your GP will be provided with a discharge summary detailing your condition, treatment and ongoing care requirements.
If you have medical concerns
If you are a Home Hospital patient and have any medical concerns, even if they do not seem related to your current need for treatment, please contact the Home Hospital team before seeing your general practitioner (GP).
The Home Hospital team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. If you cannot find the contact details given to you by your Home Hospital nurse, please call the Fiona Stanley Hospital Helpdesk on 6152 2222 and ask to speak with the Home Hospital team.
In an emergency
If you have a life-threatening medical condition, call 000 and request an ambulance or have someone take you to the nearest emergency department.
On arrival, please advise emergency department staff you are a current Home Hospital patient.
We welcome your feedback
Understanding how you experience our care and services is essential and we welcome your compliments, complaints and suggestions. You can provide feedback by:
scanning the QR code (right)- asking staff for a hard copy feedback form
- via email
- speaking with our Home Hospital staff.
Contact us
Please call the Fiona Stanley Hospital Helpdesk on 6152 2222 and ask to speak with the Home Hospital team.
Location
The Home Hospital Clinic is located in the Transit 2 area of Fiona Stanley Hospital – please present to the Allied Health 2 reception where you will be directed to the clinic.
See the Fiona Stanley Hospital map (external PDF 1MB).
Learn more about sub-acute community care services at SMHS.