Before You Arrive

• Your Medicare card, private health insurance details, and photo identification.
• A list of current medications, all regular medications in original boxes, and any relevant medical documents.
• Comfortable clothing, sleepwear, personal toiletries.
• Any necessary mobility aids (e.g., walking stick, hearing aids, CPAP machine).

If you are undergoing surgery or a medical procedure, you will receive specific instructions regarding fasting times and medication guidelines from your specialist. Please follow these carefully to ensure your safety.

While we always strive to keep your belongings safe, please note that Burnside Hospital cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage to personal property kept by patients.

We recommend:

• Leaving valuable items at home.
• Packing essential items only.
• Planning to settle your account electronically.
• Packing a small amount of cash for incidentals such as snacks or coffees from our onsite cafe.

All overnight rooms except for our High Dependency Unit (Toorak Gardens) and Close Observation Unit (Stepney) are equipped with a small safe. We recommend selecting your own security code and keeping your belongings securely stored in the safe during your stay.

Unless your surgeon or anaesthetist gives you special instructions, we kindly ask that you refrain from eating for six hours prior to your admission, including chewing gum, lollies, and sweets of any kind.

Small sips of water may be consumed up to two hours prior to your admission (maximum one glass per hour). 

We recommend asking your surgeon if you should continue taking your regular medications on the morning of your surgery.

If you are taking aspirin or other blood thinning medication(s) we strongly recommend speaking with your doctor prior to stopping your medication.