We believe keeping pets and their people connected is an important part of exceptional emergency and critical care. While each of our hospitals brings this philosophy to life in a way that reflects its team, patients and environment, Animal Emergency Service (AES) Hawthorn East has embraced an 'Open Hospital Concept' that gives owners the opportunity to remain closely involved in their pet's care journey.
In Melbourne, AES Hawthorn East is the only emergency hospital with the open hospital concept, welcoming pet owners into their treatment areas and ICU to stay close to their pets during their most vulnerable moments.
What does the 'Open Hospital Concept' really mean?
When an owner comes in with their pet at AES Hawthorn East, we do our best to involve them in the process as much as possible.
This looks like:
- Being present at the crash bench for initial assessment.
- Holding their pet for small procedures.
- Watching their TPRs and checks
- Spending time with them in hospital/ICU while they are receiving their treatments or are here for extended stays.
Every situation is different, and owner involvement is always tailored to the patient’s needs, the owner’s comfort, and the clinical team’s judgement.
Our open hospital concept works because our team is empowered to make decisions based on each case. They assess what level of owner involvement is appropriate, ensuring safety, emotional support, and high quality care for every patient.
The benefits of open hospitals are undeniable, with patients and owners being able to spend time together even with all of the uncertainty around them. Our team is able to spend more time with owners, we are able to speak to them, get to know them, and gain their trust with open communication and mutual understanding.
While there are some times we need to set boundaries, such as with crash cases coming in, and the time spent with each person, we ensure our owners are seeing the value in the care we provide and how much our dedicated team cares for each and every cutie that passes through our doors.
How AES Hawthorn East sets healthy boundaries?
We introduce our open hospital guidelines at admission, and owners receive them alongside their consent form. These include:
- No food in the ICU.
- Closed toe shoes.
- Awareness that our team are caring for multiple patients.
- No touching other patients or wandering the hospital.
- Supervised visits only to maintain everyone's safety.
We also have visiting hours, not to limit connection, but to ensure owners rest, recharge, and look after themselves while their pets are in our care. It also means we can have space for quiet, lights off time for all patients to facilitate rest and recovery.
Learn more about AES Hawthorn East
For more information about how AES Hawthorn East operates, visit their location page or check out this blog of one of their patient stories.
