You are given an anaesthetic  when you have surgery so that you don’t feel pain during the operation.  There are different types of anaesthesia and the type you receive will depend on the type of surgery you are having and how long it will take.

Your anaesthetic will be given to you by a specialist doctor called an anaesthetist.

Southern Cross' Brightside Hospital is a modern private surgical hospital located in central Auckland.

Brightside Hospital was originally established on its Auckland site, in Epsom, in the 1940s and was completely rebuilt to modern, high tech specifications and re-opened in 2000.

Brightside offers a wide range of surgical services and postoperative care to around 4,500 patients each year. This four-theatre hospital provides 43 inpatient beds and 6 day stay chairs and has a staff of nearly 100.

With an established reputation for gynaecological, orthopaedic and urological services, Brightside was also the first private hospital in New Zealand to offer prostate brachytherapy, a new type of treatment for prostate cancer.  This specialist service employs advanced techniques and technologies for prostate implants, and the medical specialists operating at the hospital have helped Brightside to be involved in leading the way in urological treatment in New Zealand in some respects.

Plastic surgery, oral surgery and general surgery are also amongst the surgical services offered at Brightside Hospital.

Recent developments include the introduction of an Intermediate Care Facility (ICF), opened in 2012 and providing a specialised postoperative ward for patients with medical conditions or surgical issues that require an enhanced level of monitoring and care.  The four-bed ward caters for patients who unexpectedly require some extra post-surgical care, or those with medical issues - such as heart or blood pressure conditions - that may have the potential to cause complications during or after surgery.