Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Anaesthesia (NALMA)

The hospital will contact you the day before your procedure and advise an admission time.

For major surgery you will be sent an online health questionnaire that will take approximately 10 minutes of your time to complete. This questionnaire will be sent via text and include a link from castme.com.au/. Please click on this link and complete. In some cases, your anaethetist may follow up this questionnaire with a phone call to discuss.

For all other surgery, your anaethetist will speak with you in the anaesthetic bay prior to your procedure.

Regurgitation of food under anaesthetic can be a life threatening event as your lungs fill with the contents of your stomach. To minimise this risk, all patients are required to abstain from food or drink for a minimum of 6 hours prior to the procedure or as advised by hospital admissions.

Only clear fluids such as water and non-cloudy apple juice can be consumed during the fasting period (up to 200mL per hour for adults). All other fluids such as milk, alcohol, fruit juices, soft drinks, energy drinks, teas and coffee, etc are to be avoided. No food should be consumed at all.

For children, it is permissible to also allow them to consume water based frozen treats such as Zooper Duper's. No ice-cream or milk based or juice products. For children, up to 3mls per kg per hour of clear fluid is allowed.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) publishes a range of suggested fees for anaesthetic services. Unfortunately, the rates paid by Medicare or Health Funds are significantly below what is recommended by the AMA.

If you are in a known gap health fund, NALMA will charge you a fee within that known gap but at a rate significantly below the AMA rate.

We understand the anxiety for both parent and child when your child undergoes surgery. From experience, we find that anxiety for the child can be reduced by informing them what will happen on their day of the surgery. Watching the following YouTube link (A Little Deep Sleep) with your child will assist in reducing this anxiety:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYsi9WD3AD8

In speaking with your child, we recommend avoiding language that can imply there is something to be anxious about. Examples of such language to be avoided include "You're so brave" or "You don't need to be scared".

On the day of surgery, you are able to enter the anaesthetic bay with your child and be with them as the anaesthetic is administered and they go to sleep. When surgery has been completed, you will be called into the recovery bay and can be with your child as they wake from their procedure. Please note that you are unable to be present in the operating theatre when your child is undergoing their procedure.

This will depend on your symptoms, how unwell you are, if you have been taking any medication, and other co-morbidity factors.

It is important to tell hospital staff and your anaethetist if you are feeling unwell or have any symptoms of illness. Please do not leave it until the day of surgery to advise.

For all billing enquiries, please direct to Anaesthetic Private Practice on 1300 220 518.

This may be possible but can be difficult to arrange. Please fill out our "Contact Us" form and we will respond.