Port Macquarie Base Hospital

Port Macquarie Base Hospital

Unit Services

Here at Port Macquarie Base hospital we have an Intensive Care unit that has ten (10) beds. Patients in the unit can be placed on monitors that show us their heart rate, oxygen status and their blood pressure. We also have machines called ventilators that can assist the patient in their breathing. This is done by placing a tube in the patient’s windpipe when they are asleep and then attaching the ventilator to it. We can also assist patients breathing with other machines called CPAP or BIPAP. The patients do not need to be kept asleep for this type of help. Not all patients who come to our unit need a ventilator, or BIPAP/CPAP to help them breathe.

If the patient does not improve or needs the support of other specialised equipment such as long term dialysis (kidney machine), the patient will need to be transferred to another intensive care unit that provides these specialised services, usually in Newcastle or Sydney.

Patients that suffer heart attacks, or episodes of angina will be admitted to our Coronary Care Unit for treatment and monitoring. Patients that require specialised care, for example burns, brain (neuro) surgery or heart (cardiac) surgery, will not stay in our unit. They may however, be with us for a short period of time, whilst waiting for transfer to a specialised intensive care unit at another hospital.

Unit Staff

Children (16 years or younger) who need intensive care services also need special care and they too will be transferred to a specialised intensive care unit at another hospital. Children who need less specialised care may stay in our unit, but these cases are decided on an individual basis in consultation with the specialist children’s doctors (paediatricians).

Three (3) senior doctors (staff specialists) who have trained in intensive care medicine lead our unit. One of these is present in the unit daily. When not in the unit they can be reached by telephone and pager. Other doctors (career medical officers) with experience in critical care also assist and are always available in the event of an emergency.

There is a senior nurse in charge of the unit every shift. If a patient needs help with their breathing (on a ventilator), one nurse on each shift will look after that patient. If a patient can breathe without the help of a ventilator, one nurse may be taking care of two to three patients during the shift.

Our unit also has the help of Allied Health Professionals such as physiotherapists, pharmacists, and a social worker through the day.

How To Get To Port Macquarie Base Hospital

A map of the hospitals's location is below. A more detailed map can be found at the Whereis Online WebSite.