Please read your admission letter carefully as it gives details of whom to contact to confirm that there is a hospital bed available for you. It also tells you where to go when you arrive at the hospital. Please bring your admission letter with you, with the form on the reverse completed.
We may ask you to attend the hospital a few days before your admission to help plan and prepare for your stay in hospital.
If you are unable to come into hospital on the date you have been given, please let us know as soon as possible. Telephone 01473 703142 or 703140 Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm or 01473 703295 9am – 12noon for gynaecology admissions.
What should I do about other appointments or visits?
Please inform the hospital on 0800 136 710 immediately if you have any outpatient appointments booked during your stay in hospital, and cancel any home visits you may have planned with community nurses, social care workers or your GP. These appointments can be rearranged for when you return home.
Where should I go?
When you arrive at the hospital, our staff at South Reception (Entrance 2) will direct you to the ward where you will be met by ward staff who will confirm your personal details. You will be cared for in a single-sex bay except on some of the specialised wards. We aim to respect your privacy, dignity, religious and cultural beliefs at all times. Please let us know about any special requirements you may have during your stay. A doctor and/or nurse will take your medical history and you will be asked a number of questions to help us meet your needs.
A team of people may be involved with your care, for example, doctors, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, radiographers, etc. All staff wear an identification badge, which includes their name, job title and photograph. If this is not prominent, ask staff to show you their identification badge, so that you know who they are.
In most cases a senior doctor (consultant) will have overall responsibility for your medical care whilst you are in hospital. Please ask a member of staff if you have any questions or concerns.
On admission, patients under 16 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, as they will need to sign a consent form for treatment, after the procedure has been explained by the medical staff.
How will my stay affect my benefits and/or retirement pension?
It is important that you are aware that your benefits/retirement pension may reduce if:
- You have to spend any length of time in hospital. This can be different according to which benefit you claim.
- Someone you claim extra money for goes into hospital.
It is your responsibility to notify the Department for Work and Pensions about either of the above points.
For further information and advice on how this may affect your benefit and/or pension ask for a copy of the leaflet GL12 Going into Hospital? at South Reception. Copies are also available in different languages, large print and Braille.
- Ask the ward clerk for an Admission Notification Form.
- Contact your local Department for Work and Pensions office.
- Telephone the Benefit Enquiry Line on Freephone 0800 882 200.
- Let the Department for Work and Pensions know when you are discharged otherwise your benefits will be reduced. Discharge Notification Forms are also available from the ward clerk.
