St George Social Worker Service

Social Work Service can be found on Level 4, Pritchard Wing, Gray Street, Kogarah. 

The social work service operates Monday to Friday, with a separate weekend service for areas such as Emergency, Intensive Care, Rehabilitation, MAU and Maternity/Paediatrics.

The social work service also provides an after hours Crisis On Call service 7 days per week for urgent matters. For all emergencies please call 9113 1111 and request to speak to the after hours Social Worker.

Patients and their families may ask another member of staff to request that a Social Worker see them: Contact The Hospital on 0291131111.

Being in hospital is naturally a difficult time for both patient and family. Illness and hospitalisation may bring about many changes and difficulties which can be both emotional and practical. Often patients may find that other staff, having noticed the difficulties they are experiencing, arrange for a Social Worker to see them.

Patients and their families often request to see a Social Worker to talk about the following issues:

• Personal, marital and family relationship difficulties.

• Being unable to talk easily about feelings with loved ones.

• Feelings of fear, worry, sadness, anger and loss.

• Feelings of confusion and lack of control that arise from hospitalisation.

• Uncertainty about the future changes that illness may bring to the lives of the patient and their family.

• Concerns brought about by the effects on the families when some one is in hospital.

The St George Hospital Social Work Department provides social work services to all the main wards of the hospital, as well as a number of Outpatient Departments.

The social work service provides a range of services including counselling, advocacy, practical and emotional support, and residential aged care placements.