Your stay in hospital

Patients

An inpatient means someone who is staying in hospital overnight or for more than one night.

In this section you can find information on:

When you arrive

Here you can also view our Your stay in hospital booklet.

Information for people who are staying with us this Winter

We expect this winter to be especially busy in our hospitals. We’re seeing more patients who need urgent care and who need to stay overnight in one of our hospitals. We also want to continue with as many of our planned appointments and operations as possible so that we can reduce the longer waiting times that built up during the pandemic.

We know a hospital stay can be a worrying time, particularly when we are busy. And so, we want to let you know about the plans we have in place to make sure we continue to provide safe, high-quality care this winter.

If you need any help at any time during your stay, please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff and, if you can, please let us know what worked well and how we can do better. If you don’t feel you get the response you need locally, you can always contact our patient advice and liaison service (PALS).

Latest infection and prevention and control guidance

Read our latest Covid-19 guidance here, including the measures we have in place to keep everyone safe.
Read our full visiting guidelines here. To help us protect others, if you have any covid-19 or flu type symptoms please do not visit our hospitals~

When you arrive

Tell staff if you are taking medication or if you have brought any medication with you to hospital. If you need any special assistance while you’re in hospital, let staff know.

You will usually be cared for on a ward specialising in the treatment of the condition or illness you have. You will be in a bay on a ward or possibly a side room. We aim to provide patients with same-sex accommodation. However, at very busy times, some of our wards have had to become mixed-sex, although we always try to keep individual bays as same-sex and ensure privacy at all times. The decision to change some wards to mixed - sex wards has been carefully considered – patient and staff safety remains our priority at all times.

If you need to have a test or procedure, we will provide you with hospital gowns and make sure your privacy and dignity is protected at all times.

The daily schedule varies from ward to ward. A day on the ward will usually begin early, as many patients have to receive treatment or medication.

If you have any questions about your ward or special requests, speak to the ward sister or charge nurse who manages the ward.

We will provide you with a cupboard next to your bed for your personal belongings. Cupboards do not have a lock, so we don’t recommend using them for valuables or large sums of money.