General Information

Smoking

Airedale Hospital has a no smoking policy in all of its buildings and also in the grounds. We would ask you not to smoke during your stay in hospital. Smoking is harmful to your health and may delay your recovery.

If you have been thinking of giving up smoking you can ask the ward staff to help you contact the Smoking Cessation Nurse.

Visiting

Please click here for visiting information

Most of the wards allow visitors between 2pm and 4pm and from 6pm until 8pm . The times may vary, and are different in maternity and other specialist areas. It is important that visiting does not interfere with your recovery, and that of the patients around you on the ward. We ask you to limit your visitors to one or two at a time, and make sure that children are supervised at all times. Your nurse will let you know if your visitors are disturbing other patients and they may be asked to leave.

Your visitors can get refreshments at the two shops run by our volunteers, and in the hospital dining room. They should ask a member of staff for directions to the dining room where they can buy snacks, sandwiches and full meals. The hospital shops are in the Main Entrance and in the Outpatients department.

Spiritual care

As well as the medical care and treatment you will receive at Airedale we also provide spiritual, religious and cultural support. This is part of our commitment to quality care for all our patients.

Chaplains and members of the chaplaincy team of various faiths visit patients in the hospital offering friendship and a listening ear.   If you would like to see a chaplain please tell a member of staff, if you would prefer a particular denomination or faith, please tell them that too.  Chaplains may be contacted by leaving a message on our answer phone 01535 294088 or 4088 from an internal hospital phone.  To contact a chaplain urgently ask switchboard.

For Muslim patients there is a special prayer room, with washing facilities. We also have male and female pastoral workers, fluent in Urdu and Punjabi, who visit the wards.

We have a chapel where you, or your visitors, can have a confidential talk with the Chaplains. It is open for prayer and reflection, day and night, and there are regular services for all denominations. Each Saturday there is Catholic Mass at 6.30p.m. and each Sunday there is a service at 11a.m.  including Holy Communion open to all believers.  For these services patients are asked on Friday if they would like to attend and those who would are fetched in wheel chairs by a band of trained volunteers.  Patients who cannot get to the chapel may receive Holy Communion at their bed on their ward during the week.  Annually we hold a Good Friday service, a Carol Service and a Christmas Day service which are open to all. 

We also hold a Brief Lives Service of Celebration and Commemoration for those who have suffered the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or when newborn.  The next Brief Lives service will be on Sunday 30th March 2008 at 6pm.  Family and close friends are welcome.