Your hospital stay
Preparing for hospital
Read the letter from the hospital and any instructions carefully. You will need to bring the letter with you, so keep it in a safe place.
- Start thinking about how you will get to and from the hospital, what support you might need, and who needs to know.
- If you smoke, consider giving it up before your hospital stay as this will help your recovery. All our facilities and campuses are smokefree, free support is available - call our stop smoking service.
- If you have any questions, contact us using the phone number provided in your letter, or if you have misplaced your letter please contact us on (07) 348 1199.
- Make your surgery or treatment a priority. If for any reason you are not able to come, you must let the service know as soon as possible.
If you are having a general anaesthetic, about a week before your appointment a nurse will contact you and ask some questions to make sure you are still fit, willing and able to have your procedure. You will also be given any further instructions on preparation for your surgery, and this is a good time to discuss transport and support arrangements including for discharge.
If you are having a local anaesthetic, we will only contact you if there are any specific instructions.
On arrival to hospital
If you have an appointment for surgery, or an arranged admission, go straight to the Unit (Ward) indicated in your appointment information card.
If you have difficulty with the directions we have volunteers to help you at the main receptions. Upon arrival to the Unit (Ward) you will be introduced to staff.
We will then place an identification bracelet on your wrist. This will help us check your identity before undertaking any tests or treatments. Please always wear it while you are with us.
Bring everything with you that you will need, especially if you are staying overnight or longer, to help we have a what to bring list below.
Your appointment time does not indicate the time of your surgery. Your actual operation will not happen until your preparation is complete. Please be prepared for some periods of waiting.
Questions we ask you
When you arrive at the hospital you will be asked to give information about yourself to check against our records.
You may be asked the same questions a few times before and after your procedure because we need to be sure all our records are correct and complete.
Different members of your care team may need to check who you are – this is a safety precaution, not a sign that we keep forgetting what you tell us.
To learn more about how we use your personal information click here.
What to bring
Limit your luggage to one small bag that is easy to carry. Please note: We will try to keep items safe, but we are not responsible for the loss of any personal items.
- Your appointment letter.
- Any medications you are taking, or ointments you are using regularly.
- Glasses, hearing aids or dentures and their cases.
- Leave your valuables at home.
- A small amount of cash.
- If you are staying overnight or longer:
- one change of comfortable day clothes and shoes
- sleepwear, slippers or jandals
- personal toiletries (e.g. toothbrush and toothpaste, moisturiser, etc).
- You can bring a mobile phone and charger, but you are responsible for looking after them.
Click here to read more on what you might want to bring with you.
If surgery has to be postponed or cancelled
In some cases, your hospital booking may be postponed and rescheduled because of an influx of emergency cases on the day or some other unavoidable event.
If this happens, we are really sorry, but we must treat the most urgent patients first and ensure clinical safety standards are met.
Cancellation of surgery or other treatment is only done as a last resort – you will be rescheduled as soon as possible.