Coming into hospital

If you are coming into hospital for treatment, this section of the website covers what you need to know about your stay and your discharge home.

What to bring with you

Please bring your admission letter and contact details for your GP and next of kin. You will also need to bring:

• Any medicines, inhalers, glasses and hearing aids that you use

• Any mobility aids you use (if you forget, please ask a friend or relative to bring them in for you)

• A small bag containing your toiletries, night clothes and some comfortable day clothes

Do not bring any alcohol, illegal drugs or tobacco. The hospital is a no smoking area and drugs and alcohol can interfere with your care.

Do not bring valuables or large amounts of money. We cannot accept responsibility for any items that are not handed in for safe keeping during your stay.

Who will be caring for you?

You will be cared for by a multi-professional team including:

• A consultant and their team of doctors

• Nurses and nursing support staff

• Other members of the team such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, pharmacists and porters.

You can identify most staff by the colour of their uniforms. If you are not sure who someone is, please ask them.

What to expect from us

We expect all our staff to be friendly and easy to talk to. Staff should always tell you their name, and if you have not met them before, what their job is.

All staff wear an identity badge which gives their name, occupation and picture.

If you have any worries, questions or problems, please talk to the nurse in charge of your ward, who will be able to help you.

Support for patients with additional needs

We are committed to providing care centred around the individual needs of each person.

This includes people with disabilities or sensory impairments, people who speak languages other than English, and people with dementia.

We will involve you, your family and carers in assessing your needs and planning your care.

We want to make sure that you have access to information you can understand, communication support when you need it, and any other support to keep you safe in hospital.

Let us know what your needs are as soon as you can. Then we can put the right support in place for you, your family and carers.

Meals, drinks and snacks during your stay

We will provide you with breakfast, lunch and evening meal at your bedside each day. A choice of portion sizes is available.

Drinks are served on the ward throughout the day. There will always be water available at your bedside.

Cakes and biscuits are provided twice a day, and snacks are available 24 hours a day.

Special and therapeutic diets are also catered for. Please let ward staff know if you have any dietary needs.

We encourage family members to come and help feed their loved ones at meal times. We also have volunteer mealtime assistants.

Hospital facilities and spiritual care

You can find out about onsite facilities for patients and visitors here.

If you need spiritual care and support, you can find out about our Chaplaincy service here.

Going home

We will tell you the date and time that we expect you to go home from hospital as soon as we can.  This is called your ‘expected date of discharge’. We will let you know if this changes.

Your feedback

After your stay, if you would like to give feedback about your experience, you can complete the Friends and Family Test here.

If you would like to raise any concerns about your care, or tell us about the good care you received, you can get in touch with our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) here.

Please ring the number on your admission letter if you have any queries or need to tell us about anything before you come into hospital.