General Information
Public Transport
Bus
The following buses run past the centre:
- No. 742, Eastland to Chadstone
- No. 850, Dandenong to Chelsea
- No. 885, Glen Waverley to Springvale
- No. 902, Airport West to Chelsea
Train
The nearest train station is Glen Waverley, approximately 2.7 kms from The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre.
All metropolitan trains are wheelchair accessible.
The driver will help you board the train by placing a ramp between the platform and the first door of the front carriage. Waiting on the platform near the front of the train will help the train driver know who needs help boarding trains.
Taxi
Wheelchair accessible taxis (WATs) allow people who use wheelchairs to travel in their wheelchair provided that they and the wheelchair can be safely restrained in the vehicle.
WATs are vehicles designed to carry 1 or more people seated in wheelchairs (depending upon the vehicle type) and between 4 and 11 passengers when not configured to carry wheelchairs.
To book a WAT in Melbourne or other taxi, call:
- Silver Top Taxis on 8413 7202
- Yellow Cabs on 13 62 94.
Getting Started
On arrival at The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre you will be admitted to the ward by medical and nursing staff. You will be allocated to a Rehabilitation Specialist and a number of therapists who will form your Treating Team.
Over the first few days you will meet your Treating Team and discuss treatment goals. It is important that your rehabilitation is best suited to your needs, so please do not hesitate to talk to your Team about what is important for you to achieve.
Your Timetable
To help you and the staff plan your therapy, a timetable is developed with all your appointments for each week.
You are encouraged to be ready 15 minutes before your appointment times. If you are unable to get yourself to therapy, a porter will be organised to take you to your treatment area.
Please call the nursing staff if you have any queries.
The Treating Team will discuss with you when you can start walking to therapy or transporting yourself. Our aim is to encourage this as early as possible, when safe to do so.
Clothing
You will be expected to wear your usual day clothes.
Clothing that will allow easy movement, for example, tracksuit pants, shorts and loose tops are most suitable.
Flat supportive shoes are recommended when you are up and walking.
Slip-on shoes are NOT recommended.
A bathing costume or suitable shorts and T-shirt are required for hydrotherapy treatment.
Review of your progress
Your progress will be reviewed regularly by your Team at review meetings. It is important that you discuss plans and goals with your therapist to ensure that you and the Team are clear about where you are heading.
Admission or access to The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre is available via referral.
Your local GP, physician, surgeon or allied health professional will be able to assist you with obtaining a referral.
During your stay you will be under the medical care of our Rehabilitation Specialist, who will from time to time be assisted by other accredited private specialists and hospital staff.
Once admission has been arranged, all referred patients will be seen by our Rehabilitation Liaison Coordinator for assessment to determine a program that will be suitable for your needs.
The Rehabilitation Liaison Coordinator will be able to answer any questions or address any concerns that you may have about your stay with us.
Alternatively, if you are being admitted to The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre directly from home, our staff will contact you on the day prior to your admission to let you know what time to arrive and what items to bring with you.
On arrival, please register at our main reception. We will consult with you and your family to discuss suitable rehabilitation goals and outline our various programs on offer.
Our Rehabilitation Liaison Coordinator will facilitate your admission to our facility.
If you are seeking an outpatient program you will be assessed by one of our Rehabilitation Specialists along with a multidisciplinary team to determine the most suitable program that will address your needs.
On admission you will be assessed by our Rehabilitation Specialist, treating Allied Health therapists and nursing staff.
In consultation with you an individualised rehabilitation plan and timetable will be developed to assist you in achieving your goals to maximise your independence.
Therapy will be attended in the physiotherapy gym or within the occupational therapy treating space.
Therapy is typically conducted six days per week. An exercise program will be designed around your individual needs and can be conducted at other times during the day.
As an integral part of recovery, our goal is to provide appropriate nourishment through meals made from fresh and nutritious meals.
Meals are carefully chosen and focus on quality of the highest standard in both preparation and presentation.
All meals are freshly prepared in the centre’s kitchen and delivered to your room.
Our kitchen caters for special diets as required and this information will be collected from you during admission.
Consent
Your care program will be discussed with you and you will be asked to consent to this program. In certain circumstances you may be required to sign consent for a particular procedure.
Medication & Pharmacy Services
Nursing and pharmacy staff will check any medications you have brought with you. All medications will be secured in a cupboard in your room.
HPS Pharmacy is on-site at The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre and staff are available Monday - Saturday to answer questions you may have about your medications.
The cost of additional medication ordered by your doctor relating to your reason for admission is covered by your health fund for the period you are in hospital. You will be advised if your fund does not cover this
expense.
You will be responsible for paying for any personal items such as vitamins obtained from the pharmacy.
You will be billed for medications not related to your admission and any medications you take home. Your own medication will be returned to you on discharge.
Any of your own currently prescribed medication brought in from home or another hospital can be used during your hospital stay if correctly labelled.
Please inform staff of any Medicare, Pension, Concession, Repatriation, Safety Net or other relevant entitlement numbers.
Involving Family and Friends
The support of your family and friends is important to your recovery and we encourage their visits.
It is helpful to let your visitors know when you are booked for therapy, to avoid either being unavailable for your visitors or missing your therapy.
If you would like your family to be involved in discussions about your care and progress, please discuss this with your treating doctor, therapist & / or Nurse Unit Manager.
Discharge Planning
An important part of your rehabilitation is preparing for discharge and deciding whether you will be able to return to your home or if you will need to consider admission to residential care.
If you are able to return to your home, your Occupational Therapist will discuss your home situation with you, and will visit your home if required. This is to help identify any problems that may occur once you are
discharged.
If you have any concerns about going home this is the best time to discuss them, and help to decide what support services you may need e.g. District Nurse, Home Help.
You will be discharged when you can safely look after yourself, or with the support of a family member, or with the appropriate external supports and equipment as required.
If ongoing treatment is recommended, this will be arranged either at The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre or a local provider.
As soon as you arrive you are being prepared for discharge back to your home and community.
Your discharge date will be arranged with you in consultation with the team.
Support and services on discharge are available from various sources that may be necessary to facilitate a safe discharge.
Our therapists and nursing staff will work with you and your family to implement these services on discharge. sometimes the team may feel that because of your care needs coupled with the absence of support, an alternative discharge destination may be more suitable.
Our social worker is available for your assistance to address these complex discharge issues.
A list of your current medications will be supplied along with a discharge summary to be given to your treating general practitioner.
We are committed to making your transition home as smooth as possible.
Discharge Time
Please make arrangements to be picked upby 10.00am on the day of discharge.
If you have difficulty making arrangements,speak to the nurse in charge of the ward.Before you leave the Centre, you will begiven your discharge instructions, doctor’sappointment times, X-rays and medicationsas appropriate.
You will also be provided with a list of keystaff to contact in the event that you haveany questions or concerns after leaving theCentre.
Rehabilitation and recovery doesn’t end when you leave hospital.
We encourage you to consider our Outpatient Programs or alternately a home exercise program will be given to you on discharge.
Both choices will enable you to continue to build on your skills, confidence and independence. It is important to continue to take care of yourself attending to your physical and emotional health.
It is recommended that a GP visit is planned within two weeks of discharge.
Inpatient Accommodation
Accommodation consists of single and shared rooms, most of which have ensuites especially designed for people with mobility needs.
Every effort is made to accommodate you in the room of your choice.
If your preference is not available at the time of admission, your request will be met as soon as possible.
All our private and shared rooms have personal bedside televisions, telephones, local calls are free of charge and mobile calls/STD can be made using a phone card, which is available at the reception.
Catering
As an integral part of your recovery, ourgoal is to provide appropriate nourishmentthrough meals made from fresh, nutritious,seasonal produce.Meals are carefully chosen and focus onquality of the highest standard in bothpreparation and presentation.All meals are freshly prepared in the Centre’skitchen and delivered to your room.
Meal times are:
Breakfast 8.00am to 8.30am
Morning Tea 10.00am to 11.00am
Lunch 12.00pm to 12.30pmA
fternoon Tea 3.00pm to 4.00pm
Dinner 5.00pm to 5.30pm
Supper 7.00pm to 8.00pm
Catering staff will visit you daily and diet monitors are available to assist you in selecting your meals from the extensive menu.Our kitchen caters for special diets as required and this information will be collected from you during admission. If you need advice or assistance from a dietician this can be arranged. Meals can be ordered for your family and friends for a small charge. To order, contact Main Reception on Ext 9. Please note that a minimum notice of two hours is required.
Electrical Appliances
Personal electronic items should be freeof visually apparent damage and are onlypermitted for the exclusive use by the ownerand must not be operated by Healthscopestaff. If you have any questions, please askthe nurse in charge to contact maintenance.
Money and Valuables
You are requested not to bring valuables or large amounts of money into the hospital. We do not accept responsibility for the loss of, or damage to any property you chooseto keep in your room e.g. money, glasses, dentures, jewellery, I.T equipment etc. If you have valuables with you, feel free to ask staff to place your valuables in the main safe to ensure their safety.
Laundry
The hospital does not have laundry facilitieson-site. Please make your own arrangementswith the help of family or friends.NewspapersThe hospital provides copies of The HeraldSun and The Age daily. These are availablefor all patients and are located in thepatients’ lounge on the ward.
Nurse Call Button
The nurse call button is located at yourbedside and in all bathroom facilities. Whenthis button is pressed it notifies nursing staffthat you need assistance.You will be shown how to use the nurse callsystem as part of the admission process.
Wi-Fi Internet
Free internet is available throughout our hospital for your personal use.
Cafe
Detour Café is our onsite café where hot and cold food and beverages may be purchased for patients and visitors. Also available is daily newspapers and magazines.
Marina Radiology hours of operation:
Monday- Friday 9.00am- 5.00pm
Clinical Labs offer on-site pathology services on Monday- Friday 9.00am- 12.00pm
HPS pharmacy is available for in-patients and out-patients seen by a doctor at The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre, Monday- Friday 9.00-5.00 and Saturday 9.00- 12.00pm
Customer Service, Compliments and Complaints
At The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre we strive for excellence in customer satisfaction and experience. Meeting your needs is our priority and we continually seek feedback about how to improve our services and exceed our customer expectations. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any concerns about any aspect of your stay so that we can make every effort to fix the problem. Please speak with any of the staff or ask to speak to the nurse in charge or the Nurse Unit Manager. We value your feedback and use it to continue to improve the services we offer and the care we provide to you as a patient. You will find a Feedback Form in your admission pack and we encourage you to provide comments about your stay with us. You can leave the form with any staff member or leave it at reception on discharge.
- Books and magazines
- Current medication
- Loose casual clothing and supportive footwear as this will give you freedom to exercise. It also allows us to overcome any dressing difficulties prior to discharge.
- Shoes need to be flat and easy to get on and off and provide good support
- Special equipment such as walking aids, splints or prostheses
- Swimwear for hydrotherapy when indicated.
Please note: if you are bringing personal electrical equipment for safety reasons it will need to be tagged and tested by our certified tester prior to use.
Patients are asked to leave valuables at home, if you inadvertently arrive with jewelry, large amounts of money or any other valuables, please ask family members to take them home.
The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre is recognised by all major health funds who will reimburse treatment costs depending on your level of coverage.
We can provide you with an estimate of hospital charges and outline the level of cover by your fund and any out-of-pocket expenses you may incur.
Patients without private health insurance are also welcome at The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre.
Prior approval is sought for compensable patients (i.e. WorkCover, TAC or DVA).
As a Department of Veteran Affairs partnering hospital, you have immediate access to our care without the need for prior approval in most cases.
We also provide help and support through our Veteran Liaison Officer.
We realise hospital and related charges can sometimes be difficult to understand so please ask for assistance, we are most happy to help you.
At The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre we are committed to providing first class health care to Australia's servicemen and women, past and present.
As a Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) partnering hospital, DVA patients have immediate access to our care, without the need for prior approval in most cases.
We also provide help and support through our Veteran Liaison Officer who is available on 03 (03) 9566 2777.
We have been awarded Preferred Provider (Tier 1) status for most procedures.
Gold Card, Department of Veteran's Affairs patients may be admitted without prior approval.
The team looking after you will meet weekly to discuss your progress and plan for your discharge:
- Diabetic Educator
- Dietician
- Exercise Physiologist
- Occupational Therapist
- Physiotherapist
- Psychologist
- Rehabilitation Nurses
- Rehabilitation Specialist
- Social Worker
- Speech Pathologist
- Stomal Therapist.