We acknowledge Sutherland Hospital is on land traditionally owned by the Dharawal people of the Eora nation. We pay our respects to elders past and present.

We welcome all people requiring care and their families, carers and friends to our hospital.

We ask all people coming to our hospital ‘Are you living as or known as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in your community?’ If you answer yes, we will contact Samantha Gifford, our Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer (AHLO) and let her know you are here.

Coming to hospital can be a difficult time. Samantha is available to have a yarn if you are finding it difficult being away from your home and family, if you are dealing with sorry business or feel a bit lonely or anxious.

Samantha is part of our Social Work team and is available to provide you the following support

• Provide you with and your family with emotional, social and cultural support
• Advocate and liaise with other staff on your behalf
• Provide information about hospital services
• Provide information on your rights and responsibilities
• Organise referrals to other services (eg Aboriginal, Legal, Child Care Protection)
• Help you get financial assistance if you need it (eg pensions, benefits, IPTAAS (Isolated Patient’s Travel and Accommodation Scheme))
• Advice on accommodation if you are travelling to Sydney from the country
• Help you and the social worker to fill in an application for housing
• Work with the hospital team to organise nursing, hospice or respite care if you need it
• Organise for you to get help if you need it when you get home. This includes help with housework, shopping, meals on wheels or any equipment you might need.

You can read our brochure for more information.

Cardiac Rehabilitation helps people with heart problems return to normal activities and reduce the risk of future heart events. SHARCS cardiac rehabilitation programs are available to Sutherland Shire residents who have had a recent cardiac event or are at risk of heart disease. There are different pathways available to complete your Cardiac Rehabilitation journey. The programs are 10 weeks in duration and can be conducted:

• In-person in our hospital clinic
• Over the telephone
• Via video link

There are two parts to SHARCS Cardiac Rehabilitation:

• Part 1: Exercise
• Part 2: Education

It is recommended that you complete both parts.

SHARCS Cardiac Rehabilitation provides:

• Information about your condition
• An exercise program tailored to you
• Twice weekly group exercise sessions
• Education for self-management
• Emotional support
• Behaviour modification strategies
• Medication and physiological review
• Post surgical assessement
• Links to community exercise services and facilities

These programs can help you and your family deal with physical, emotional and psychological recovery.

Heart Health Information Session (approx. 2 hours)

• A group education session providing a brief introduction on to how to manage your heart health.
• These sessions are held by video-link once per month, please contact us for dates.

Topics include:

• Heart disease management and treatment
• Medications
• Risk factors for heart disease
• The emotional recovery
• Exercise and eating for a healthy heart

Assessment with follow up contact (approx. 1 hour)

• This is an individual consultation about your cardiac condition
• Advice is on all aspects of your recovery
• This service is conducted through either video-link or phone
• We will provide specific supplementary information to you before and after the assessment.

Please call or email our office to confirm your interest. We suggest to book in as soon as possible.