Coming into Hospital

| as a patient | as a visitor |

If you are coming into hospital as a patient you will be given specific information about what to expect in your appointment letter.

During your stay with us, you may want to bring some items to make your time more comfortable such as:

• Nightwear
• Dressing gown
• Slippers
• Comfortable clothing
• Toiletries
• Magazines/books
• A small amount of money

Please don’t bring any  valuables into hospital with you as we do not have any means of securing them safely on the ward.

Please make sure that dentures, spectacles and hearing aids not in use are kept in appropriate containers. Wrapping these items in tissue paper can cause them to be mistaken for rubbish and removed from your bedside by our domestic staff.

The privacy and dignity of our patients is extremely important, and you will be admitted to a single sex bay, in line with national policy.
Read our Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation - Declaration of compliance.

When a doctor, nurse or therapist asks you to agree to any form of examination, treatment or care, remember you have a choice. You are always free to say no, or to ask for more information before you consent.
Read the Department of Health's guide on Consent – what you have a right to expect.

To provide you with the highest quality of healthcare, we must keep records about you, your health and the care we have provided to you or plan to provide to you.
NHS care records may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and organisations use a combination of working practices and technology to keep to the NHS Care Records guarantee.
Read the NHS Care Records Guarantee.

Smoking is prohibited within and outside both of our hospitals. No Smoking signs are clearly displayed and we would ask you to adhere to them.
However, we are aware that being at a hospital can be a very stressful experience, and that some visitors may feel that they need a cigarette. There are smoking shelters outside our hospitals to ensure that smokers are kept away from other patients and visitors. These contain information about smoking cessation services.