Calvary St John's Hospital
Services and clinics
At Calvary St John’s Hospital we offer a high standard of patient care to the communities of Hobart, as well as a comprehensive range of health services.
Clinics, surgery and specialist centres
Calvary reinvests in a range of specialty service centres to meet the needs of our local communities.
At Calvary St John’s Hospital we provide a comprehensive range of cancer services.
We provide expert diagnostic services and treatment including chemotherapy, targeted therapies and supportive treatments. Our team of doctors, nurses and allied health practitioners work with you to decide the best course of treatment and care.
Cancer care services at Calvary St John’s Hospital include:
Diagnostic services
Surgical specialists in all fields of surgery haematology
Medical oncology
Radiation oncology
Calvary St John’s Hospital provides inpatient and day patient care for children undergoing minor elective surgery in the specialities of plastics, ENT, dental, orthopaedics and general surgery.
At Calvary St John’s Hospital our team work with medical specialists and health care professionals to treat a range of health care issues in babies, children, adolescents and young adults.
What to expect
At Calvary St John’s Hospital we’re happy to arrange a pre-admission appointment and tour of the Simpson Unit so that your child can familiarise themselves with the hospital and feel more comfortable.
How to access this service
Referral by GP, another hospital, specialist or healthcare provider
This service is provided on Level 1, Simpson Unit
24/7
At the Calvary St John’s Hospital we offer specialised care for those patients requiring either day surgery or overnight / longer stay procedures. Those specialties offered at the Calvary St John’s Hospital include:
Breast surgery
Dental surgery
General surgery
Neurosurgery
Oral & maxillary surgery
Plastic surgery
Vascular surgery
Orthopaedic surgery
Ear, nose and throat surgery
Ophthalmology surgery
Pain management surgery
Gynecological surgery
Care and support services
At Calvary, we care about your physical, spiritual and emotional needs. These support services are available to our patients as part of our holistic care.
Grief is a normal and natural response to losing someone significant in our lives. At Calvary St John’s Hospital we find many people benefit from speaking to pastoral care about bereavement.
Our qualified, professional pastoral carers provide support in a non-judgmental, safe and empathic environment so you can discuss any emotional and/or physical reactions you’re currently experiencing.
Calvary St John’s Hospital free pastoral care service is available to family and friends of patients who have passed away.
How to access this service
Referral is not required
This service is available in all areas of Calvary St John’s Hospital
24/7
If you would like a visit from pastoral care, please ask a staff member or volunteer.
When visiting the hospital
If you have a planned admission, you will have the opportunity to describe your disability and appropriate arrangements can be included in your admission process.
During your admission members of our allied health service may join the team providing your care. Your team will talk with you about interim or long-term services to assist with any temporary disability or enduring issues arising from your treatment or pre-existing condition.
Referrals will be provided to agencies that can assist with disability support services.
Disability support at home
Calvary Home Care provides a range of disability services in the home. We support disabled children, adults and older people to be as independent as possible and become actively involved in their local community.
Calvary Home Care can also help with managing Individual Support Package (ISP) and funding allocations.
At Calvary, we can help with the practical arrangements involved in returning home from hospital. We can also support you during your recovery.
Calvary Home Care
Calvary Home Care’s Hospital to Home Service can be provided under a government subsidised support package (if you’re eligible), delivered on a private basis, or as a combination of the two.
Calvary Home Care can help with everyday tasks to help you recover safely and quickly. It is also useful to consider Home Care services if you have carer, who may not be able to safely move or bathe you; may need a break; or may need time away from home to do other things.
Calvary Home Care Services include:
Transport to and from hospital appointments and for everyday tasks
Cooking and grocery shopping
Dressing and showering
Cleaning and household maintenance
Respite care
Occupational therapists are focused on helping patients achieve independence, safety, meaning and satisfaction in all aspects of their lives.
At Calvary St John’s Hospital, occupational therapists work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, helping patients and their carers set goals and plan the most appropriate interventions. They provide a service to all Rehabilitation patients and Palliative care patients where appropriate.
Occupational therapists:
Apply their specific knowledge to enable people to engage in activities of daily living that have personal meaning and value
Develop, improve, sustain, or restore independence to patients
Teach compensatory techniques patients’ so that they can achieve maximum independence
Provide advice and education to patients and their families
Assess the patient’s home environment and where appropriate assist in organising any minor works to be completed to facilitate independence and safety
Arrange any necessary equipment to assist with a patient’s independence, safety and mobility
Consult with the patient and the patient’s family or caregivers to promote the patient’s capacity to participate in satisfying daily activities
We offer compassionate emotional support and spiritual care for you, your family and friends. Our pastoral care service acknowledges your beliefs, important relationships and all that is meaningful for you. It affirms your intrinsic value as a person.
Pastoral care can help if you are:
Emotionally distressed
Struggling with a sense of purpose or meaning
Experiencing a time of crisis
Feeling lonely or isolated
Grieving a loss
Making important decisions
Needing support with your religious/spiritual practice
Wishing to contact a priest or minister of religion
Preparing for death
How to access this service
Referral not required
If you would like a visit from pastoral care during your stay, please ask a staff member.
Palliative care focuses on supporting patients who have life limiting illness who need support or reaching the end of their life. We support people of all ages with a wide range of conditions, such as chronic diseases, cancers and degenerative illnesses.
Our multidisciplinary team assist patients and their family to achieve dignity, comfort and maximum quality of life.
At Calvary St John’s Hospital we have an in-hospital pharmacy, managed by HPS Pharmacies.
Our pharmacy stocks a large range of medications. In some cases we also provide more specialised and investigational medications (medicines that are being studied but not yet approved).
The pharmacy at Calvary St John’s Hospital only provides medications for hospital patients. We do not offer a prescription service to the public.
Please note: It’s important that patients bring their current medications and prescriptions when they are admitted to hospital.
How to access this service
Referral by GP, hospital, specialist or healthcare provider
Coach House, 30 Cascade Road, South Hobart
Mon to Fri, 8.30am – 5.30pm, Sat 9.00am – 12.00pm, Sun 9.00am – 12.00pm
Physiotherapists assess, diagnose and treat patients through physical means to improve a patient’s strength, mobility, movement and function. Physiotherapists work with patients and in many cases, the patients’ carers, to set goals, plan the most appropriate treatment and provide advice and education regarding the patients’ condition.
At Calvary St John’s Hospital. physiotherapy is provided to:
Rehabilitation patients
Palliative care patients
Neurosurgical patients
Treatment methods that our physiotherapists may use are:
Gait re-education
Functional retraining for example, stairs, car transfers, bed transfers
Muscle and movement re-education to improve control, coordination and balance
Joint mobilisation and soft tissue techniques to reduce pain and stiffness
Individual and group exercise programs to improve balance, strengthen muscles and increase mobility.
Education and advice regarding patients’ condition
Assistance with use of aids, splints, walking aids
Airway clearance techniques and breathing exercises
How to access this service
Referral will be provided by your hospital care team
24/7
Our rehabilitation program combines the expertise of medical specialists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide you with the highest quality of care.
This multi-disciplinary approach helps in achieving successful outcomes, improving your physical condition and helping you to return to your everyday activities.
We offer rehabilitation for the following situations:
Back surgery
Gait disorders
General physical deterioration
Joint replacements
Orthopaedic conditions, including factors and joint replacements
Musculoskeletal conditions
Post major surgery
Post major medical conditions
Prolonged immobility
Spinal surgery
At Calvary St John’s Hospital our rehabilitation programs often start while that patient is in an acute care setting, and continue as the patient transitions to the rehabilitation unit. Programs can also be offered as an outpatient service.
There is a rehabilitation gymnasium as Calvary St John’s Hospital.
How to access this service
Referral by GP, another hospital, specialist or healthcare provider
Level 1, Rehabilitation Unit
24/7
Our team will work with you to plan for the respite care you require. Respite care is provided as;
nursing support for a patient when coming home from hospital
short term nursing care in or outside the home
a support service for carers. It provides time away from their carer role confident that their loved one is being looked after.
Calvary Home Care
Where appropriate, we may refer you to our Calvary Home Care services. Calvary Home Care provides a range of respite options available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services can be delivered in the home or a support worker can accompany the family member while the carer takes a break.
Social work is available for patients, families and carer’s. At Calvary St John’s Hospital our social worker is attached to the Gibson Unit. The Social Work service delivers high level clinical services in accordance with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Code of Ethics and AASW professional practice standards. The social worker also shares the Cancer Care Coordinator role at the Gibson Unit.
Our social workers can assist with:
Learning new ways to cope with cancer or adjusting to illness.
Improving communication with your health care team.
Practical assistance such as financial assistance schemes, advanced care planning, centrelink , superannuation liaison and transport.
Talking to your family about cancer and support for children
Connecting you to reliable information and useful resources in your community
Residential Aged care placements
Discharge planning
Short term counselling
Assessment, intervention or referral for intense emotional response and assisting with difficult conversations/decision making.
Social work supports and empowers patients, their families and carers through mutually beneficial partnerships and prioritises enabling participation in their own care. Social work attends to the whole patient in collaboration with the multidisciplinary health care team.
How to access this service
Referral will be provided by your hospital care team
Level 1, Gibson Unit
Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5pm
Speech pathologists working at Calvary St John’s Hospital assist patients on the rehabilitation and other wards who are experiencing difficulties with their swallowing or communication skills. These might include:
Problems chewing and swallowing solid foods – food ‘gets stuck’
Coughing because food or drink has gone down ‘the wrong way’
Difficulty thinking of words or expressing thoughts and feelings
Problems understanding spoken instructions, or following the specifics of a conversation
New problems with reading or writing – for example: following a stroke
Slurred or effortful speech
Changes in voice quality such as hoarseness or a soft, weak voice
Patients might be experiencing these problems following a stroke or a head injury; as a symptom of a progressive disease; following a recent surgery; during / following treatment for cancer; or for another reason.
What to expect
Not all patients at Calvary St John’s Hospital need to see a speech pathologist. If your doctor or another team member on the ward feels that you would benefit from a speech pathology assessment in regards to the safety of your swallowing skills or the effectiveness of your communication skills, a referral will be made.
The speech pathologist will assess you on the ward and might recommend some speech therapy sessions, or provide some education / advice for you and your loved ones. The speech pathologist will likely liaise with other members of your health team so that they are also able to support your needs.
If you require further speech pathology input upon discharge from St John’s, the speech pathologist will discuss the options with you and arrange a referral to the appropriate community service.
How to access this service
Referral by GP, another hospital, specialist or healthcare provider
Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5pm