Coming into hospital

We understand that coming into hospital is a worrying time and we will try to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible. If you are unsure about anything and need more information please ask a trained member of staff and we will do our very best to help you.

If you have an arranged admission to hospital (not an emergency admission) you should have received a letter with your admission date and details about where to go.  If you are uncertain about when to come in or where to go, please telephone the contact number on your letter.

Please report to whoever it says on the letter when you arrive, alternatively ask at the Porters Lodge. When you arrive on your ward you will be welcomed and shown to your bed. A qualified nurse will co-ordinate your nursing care throughout your stay and will talk to you about your individual needs. All our staff should wear identification badges. We will ask you to wear a plastic identity bracelet for safety purposes with your name, date of birth and patient number on it.

There is a bedside locker for your day-to-day needs and personal belongings. Please remember that storage space is very limited on the wards and we ask that you do not bring valuables, such as jewellery or large sums of money into hospital as we cannot accept liability for lost or stolen property or money. If you must bring valuables with you, then they should be handed to a nurse when you arrive so we can arrange for safekeeping and you will be given a receipt to enable you to collect them again when you leave.

If you have come into hospital for a planned operation or treatment or as an emergency these are the items you are likely to need:

• Any medicines or inhalers in their original containers that you are taking
• Loose change for newspapers phone calls etc
• Nightclothes /dressing gown /slippers
• 1 set of day clothes - a tracksuit or other comfortable clothes 
• Glasses or contact lenses
• Hearing aid, if required
• Walking stick or walking frame or wheelchair, if required
• Toiletries, towel and flannel
• Sanitary products, if required

You may wish to bring:

• Stationery, writing paper, pens stamps and your address/telephone book
• Items of religious importance to you.

Please do not bring:

• Jewellery or other valuables
• Large bags or suitcases as storage space is limited
• Alcohol

If you are going to have an operation, the doctor will have discussed it with you first and you will also have been seen by the anaesthetist, you will be asked to sign a consent form. Children under 16 need the consent of a parent or guardian.

Visiting hours vary from ward to ward and are generally restricted in number to 3 or less to respect the needs of other patients We advise that visiting outside these hours is at the discretion of the nurse in charge and would ask that you respect the needs of patients at meal times or during treatments required for their care. Children are allowed to visit at the discretion of the nurse in charge and under adult supervision.

If you are unsure about anything and need more information please ask a trained member of staff and we will do our very best to help you.