Life on the Ward

The ward staff will welcome you when you arrive, and give you information about the ward.

We are committed to ensuring your privacy and dignity and during your stay with us you will be cared for in a same sex four-bedded bay or a single room. However for a short period following your operation, you will be nursed in the Recovery Unit where you need to be in a large open area for clinical observation before being transferred to your ward.

This means you may be in a bed near to someone of the opposite sex during this short period. If this concerns you please discuss the issue with the pre-operative assessment nursing staff and we will look at how we can address your concerns.

The staff on the ward will already have details about your condition. They will want to confirm your name, address, postcode and ethnic origin, and the name, address and telephone number of your GP. They will also want the name of your next of kin, and their daytime and evening telephone numbers.

General Points

  • Meals
    You will be offered a menu to choose from each day. This includes food that has been prepared and cooked according to your custom or religious practice, as well as your dietary needs. You can also choose the size of the portion that you want.
  • Telephones
    Each patient now has a Premier Easitalk phone at their bedside from which patients can make and receive calls. If you wish to speak to a patient direct at the bed you will need to dial 07069 190 008. You will then need to enter the patient’s extension number when prompted. The patient’s extension number is located on the patient’s bedside phone (on the blue label above the key pad). Calls cost 20p per minute from a UK land line (Calls from mobiles and other networks may vary).  You can make a note of the patient’s telephone and extension numbers on an orange Premier Easitalk contact card which can be found in the ward.
  • Visiting times
    Visiting times take place between the hours of 10:30 am and 12 noon and 15:00 and 20:00. All wards have implemented a protected meal time between 12 and 15:00 to ensure that patients have a secure time in which meals and rest will not be interrupted. We do appreciate your respecting this protected time.

To make a call a patient will require a Premier Easitalk Pay Card available from vending machines located around the hospital and require 3 x £1 coins. Calls to UK landlines, Europe, USA, Australia, etc, cost just 10p per min (Calls to mobile and other networks may vary). Patients do not require a pay card to receive incoming calls. Patients can inform friends and relatives of their Premier Easitalk contact details by giving them an orange contact cards with their telephone and extension numbers filled in. 

Instructions on how to use the Premier Easitalk bedside phone are located at the bedside.

Patients can also use any remaining credit on their Premier Easitalk Pay Card from any UK landline. Instructions on how to use this function are on the reverse of the Pay Card.

If you require any further help or information regarding Premier Easitalk while you are in hospital please ask a member of ward staff or visit the Premier Easitalk website www.premiereasitalk.co.uk .

  • Mobile Phones
    No mobile phones should be used in the hospital, as they can interfere with sensitive monitoring equipment and put lives at risk. Visitors should switch off mobile phones before entering the hospital.
  • Post
    Post is collected from the main reception and delivered to the wards daily.
  • Radio and television
    A television set is available for patients on each ward. It is important not to disturb other patients, so please do not bring your own TV or radio with you unless it is battery-operated and has headphones.
  • Newspapers
    A selection of newspapers are available from the League of Friends.
  • Electrical appliances
    If you bring a hairdryer or electric shaver with you, it must be checked by a hospital electrician before you use it to ensure it is safe. A member of the ward staff can arrange this for you.
  • Smoking
    The NOC is a smoking-free trust, and no smoking is allowed in any part of our hospitals – including buildings, entrances, grounds and gardens – or in Trust vehicles. This policy is designed to ensure that our hospitals are safe, healthy and pleasant places for all patients, staff and visitors. 

Who Can Answer My Questions?

Ask the doctor, senior nurse, modern matron or ward staff to explain anything that you don’t understand or anything that is worrying you. You are entitled to have clearly explained to you any proposed treatment, including any risks involved and any alternatives, before you decide whether to agree to it. We also have a patient advice and liaison service within the hospital and you can request to see them anytime during your stay or afterwards once you’ve returned home.

Interpreting Advice

Our Health Advocacy Service can provide interpreting advice for patients whose first language is not English. Ask a member of staff about this.

Student Training and Research

All hospitals in the Trust are involved in teaching students and in research work. Student doctors or other clinical staff in training are sometimes present on the ward. You may be asked to discuss your condition with students and allow them to examine you. You may also be asked to take part in research. If you do not feel happy about this, please tell a member of staff on the ward. You do have the right to refuse.

Sometimes samples and/or specimens taken from you during investigations, procedures or treatments may also be used for teaching, research, quality control checks and/or public health monitoring, in the future interests of all NHS patients. If you do not want samples to be used for these purposes, please make this clear to a member of the clinical team looking after you.

NEXT: Making plans to go home