General information for patients

Dr Webber consults at

Soleil Health
3/40 Marine Parade Cottesloe
Ph 6388 4442
Dr Webber leases space and brings reception staff for these appointments, and is affiliated with, but not a director of, Soleil Health

Please note, as a small business, our staff are hard working and hard to replace
On rare occasions the rooms will be closed unexpectedly if we have staff sick and are unable to find cover for them at short notice

Prior to your appointment

Please ensure that your GP referral is accurate, including medications and past medical history
Please fill out the online forms regarding privacy, financial consent and patient information
Having more information prior to the visit will help us make informed decisions

At the appointment

We usually run close to ‘on time’ but as you can imagine, some appointments can become unexpectedly time consuming and we will try to keep you informed if we are running late
Due to the nature of general surgery, occasionally we do have to cancel consulting sessions last minute to attend to unexpected emergencies and will try to keep you as up to date as possible regarding this
Dr Webber works with his assistant, Dr Sari Mouritz to see patients throughout the clinic
Some follow up clinics are run by Dr Mouritz alone, with supervision remotely from Dr Webber, you will be informed prior if this is the case
Most GP letters or referrals to other specialists are sent out on the day of consultation
If you are booked for surgery, we will send out pre-procedure instructions, an estimate of costs and anaesthetic information a day or two after the appointment *unless urgent surgery in which case we will give you these documents on the day*
If you forget to ask something or require clarification post appointment please don’t hesitate to get in touch by email or phone
We will discuss medication management prior to surgery. Generally the surgical team manage blood thinning drugs and the anaesthetic team manage diabetic, blood pressure and other medications
Country patients will often be seen by telehealth for the initial appointment if appropriate

Before surgery

You will be contacted by the anaesthetist who will usually have you fill out an online survey and be in touch following this
Arrival instructions and fasting times may be updated until the day prior as our lists may change due to diabetic patients / clinical urgency etc
Fasting in general is 6 hrs prior to operation time for solids / non clear liquids, and 2 hours for clear liquids, though we have recently introduced a ‘sip til send’ policy under which you are allowed to drink clear fluids until you are called to come from the pre-op ward to the theatre holding bay
If your health changes, you develop an illness, or have any concerns, please let the rooms know ASAP
Currently we delay surgery for COVID / influenza / RSV for 4-7 weeks depending on the severity of illness and urgency of surgery
We have downloadable information sheets on our website for specific common procedures, please have a look through these

On the day of surgery

You will be seen by Dr Webber and the consent will be checked, and the site/side of surgery marked as appropriate
After surgery, you will be seen either in the evening or the next morning and discharge planned
Some day cases will be discharged by nurses if safe to do so
Post op visits will be booked prior to surgery, if one has not been booked, please contact the rooms after discharge and make arrangements

Wound management

99% of wounds are closed with absorbable ‘monocryl’ sutures, these are usually hidden under the skin but occasionally an end can stick up. We will trim this in the rooms if required
If staples are used, these can be removed 10-14 days postoperatively in the rooms, or by your GP
The wounds may have steri-strips applied, then a waterproof dressing placed over the top
Dressings should stay in place for 5-7 days if possible (its ok if they come off sooner, they can be replaced with a bandaid)
For umbilical hernias, a paraffin gauze will be placed in the belly button, this can be removed after 48 hrs and the dressing underneath left intact if possible
Bruising around laparoscopic port sites is common, this can take a few days to settle down

Bowel management

Constipation is common after surgery, due to the operation, anaesthetic agents and painkillers
We prefer patients to take movicol post operatively until 2 days after they have stopped taking painkillers other than panadol
For patients with pre-existing constipation, we recommend starting coloxyl and senna 2 days prior to surgery

Pain management

This is managed by the anaesthetist, but please get in touch with the rooms post op if there is an issue

Medical certificates

Time off work after surgery will be discussed at the consultation
Paperwork can be produced either on the day of consultation, or after discharge from hospital

Returning to driving

Legally you are able to drive 24hr after anaesthetic, and when you are not taking any sedating medications
For insurance purposes however, you must be able to safely drive without physical impairment which can take a week or two
We suggest planning no driving for one week, and no long country drives for 2 wks
Inguinal and femoral hernia repair patients may have discomfort in the groin when sitting in a car seat for up to 4 weeks

Country patients

Its advisable to stay in town for 48h after discharge in most cases, and flights within WA are ok at that time

Getting in touch….

For non urgent issues pls email reception@westerngensurg.com.au
If you need to speak to us for administrative / planning purposes, during business hours M-F please email or call the rooms (93883305) or leave a message after hours
For clinical advice, you can either call the ward your were discharged from or contact the rooms during business hours
After hours - if unwell and concerned, please call an ambulance and ideally present to the nearest emergency dept
Dr Webber recommends SJOG Murdoch Emergency Department if possible as it has the best staffing and theatre backup