Hospital in the Home
Our Hospital in the Home (HITH) 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.
While you are still considered a Fiona Stanley or Fremantle hospital patient, the HITH service:
- enables you to receive safe, quality care in the comfort of your home or occasionally at our one of our HITH clinics
- can reduce your length of hospital stay
- lessens the likelihood you will need emergency hospital care related to your condition.
The HITH service is currently available to people across the south metropolitan catchment area who are patients at Fiona Stanley or Fremantle hospitals.
How HITH works
Your hospital doctor can refer you to HITH if you are medically stable and your treatment can be managed at home. A HITH nurse will then contact you to plan your treatment.
The HITH 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 HITH 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 HITH if you have any immediate concerns.
- keep all loan equipment safe and return it when you are discharged from HITH.
Your discharge plan
Once you no longer require hospital-level care, HITH will transfer your ongoing care 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
You are still considered a hospital patient while you receive HITH services.
If you have any medical concerns, even if they do not seem related to your current need for treatment, please contact the HITH team before seeing your general practitioner (GP).
The HITH team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week and can be contacted:
- between 8:00am to 8:00pm, Monday to Friday by phoning 6152 1505
- outside of these hours by phoning 0478 281 445.
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 HITH 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 HITH staff.
Contact us
Between 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday, please phone 6152 1505 or email hithsmhs@health.wa.gov.au
Outside of these hours, please phone 0478 281 445.
Location
The HITH Clinic is located in the Day Medical Procedures area. Please enter through the Ambulatory Emergency Care Centre entrance near the IKON coffee shop. See the Fiona Stanley Hospital map (external PDF 1MB).