General Practitioner

Please let your GP Practice know that you are coming in to hospital, giving the date of admission and the ward name or number.

Finance

Medical Certificates

To obtain Statutory Sick Pay or Sickness Benefit you must send a medical certificate to your employer or local Benefits Office as appropriate, as soon as possible after becoming sick. You should have a note of your National Insurance number in order to complete the medical certificate which ward nursing staff can give you.

Social Security benefits

Most Social Security Benefits have to be reduced during periods spent in hospital. You should, therefore, tell the Benefits Office as soon as possible about your admission to hospital. The instruction pages in your Order Book explain how to do this.

If you need further information about benefits, please contact your local Benefits Office.

While you are in hospital, please arrange for a relative or friend to look after your book and collect the pension/allowance for you. If this is not possible, bring your book to hospital with you. Hospital staff can then arrange for the collection of your pension/allowance. Please ask the nurse in charge about this.

Help With Health Costs

Most NHS treatment is free although there can be charges for some items, e.g. fabric supports, wigs, etc. The booklet HC11 "Are you entitled to help with health costs?" provides information on aspects related to free treatments and help with costs. The booklet is available from main Post Offices, Benefits Offices, Hospitals or GP Practices.

Assistance With Travelling Expenses

If you receive Income Support or Family Credit, then you are automatically entitled to travelling expenses to and from the hospital. If you bring your order book or exemption certificate with you, the Hospital Cashier office will make a payment. The Cashier’s office hours are included at the back of this booklet.

If you are on a lower income, unemployed or a pensioner you may be entitled to receive reimbursement of part or all of your travelling expenses. In this case you should complete Form AG5 which is available from Benefits Offices or Post Offices and incorporates a pre-paid envelope addressed to the local Benefits Office. The Benefits Office will assess the form and return it for payment, where appropriate, to the Hospital Cashier’s Office. Payment will then be made by post.

Please remember to keep any travel tickets. You will need to produce these at the hospital before staff can make payment. Any payment will be based on the cost of travel by the cheapest form of public transport.

If you live in one of the former crofting counties you may qualify for assistance under the "Highlands and Islands Scheme".

Further details are available from your local Benefits Office.

Patient Travel

NHS Tayside cannot fund the cost of patient travel by taxi. However, if you are in receipt of certain benefits you may be able to reclaim some travel costs. Further information can be obtained from the Hospital Cashier.

If you GP or clinician feels that you require hospital transport due to your medical condition, the ambulance service can arrange hospital transport for you .

Cash and Valuables

Please do not bring large sums of money or other valuables with you. NHS Tayside cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to your property unless you hand items over to the nurse in charge for safekeeping when you arrive. Please keep your receipt for this.

When you come to the hospital, only bring enough money for purchases of newspapers and other small items, or for telephone calls.

Property can only be collected from the hospital safe in the Cashier’s office during normal office hours. Times are included at the end of this booklet.

Please note that cheques are sometimes given instead of large amounts of cash. Therefore, the cashier will need notice for when you require this. Please speak to the nurse in charge if this would cause a problem.

Social Work Department

You may have personal or family problems that you feel you cannot cope with, such as arranging for someone to look after children or dependent relatives while you are in hospital. If so please contact your local Social Work Department office as soon as you know you are going into hospital.

Amenity Beds

A limited number of single rooms are available in some wards. If you would like to arrange one of these rooms, please discuss this with the nurse in charge. Details of charges and further information on these amenity beds are available on request.

Give your relatives and friends a note of which ward you are going to be in, so that they can visit or write easily. Any correspondence should detail your full name, ward, and the postal address of the hospital as detailed on at the back of this booklet.

Visiting

Visiting times are shown at the back of this booklet.

If any of your relatives or friends have problems visiting during the specified hours then they should discuss this with the nurse in charge of the ward.

To ensure that visiting time is beneficial for everyone we ask you to remember the following:

It is preferable for there to be no more than two visitors with you at any one time. Space can be limited and too many visitors may mean you become over tired. It may also be disturbing for other patients.

Children are welcome to visit at the discretion of the Charge Nurse. Please note, however, that children are the responsibility of accompanying adults and must be kept under close observation at all times.

Visitors may be asked to leave the ward during a doctor’s visit, at treatment or meal times or if an emergency arises.

Please advise people not to visit if they have a potentially infectious condition such as a cough, cold or stomach upset.

Gifts of flowers, food and drinks are welcome in most of the wards. Please check with your named nurse or the nurse in charge that these do not conflict with your care.

Visitors are not allowed to bring alcohol into the wards.
In some wards and departments, overnight accommodation is available for relatives, please ask the nurse in charge for details.

Relative Enquiries

We appreciate that your relatives and friends will want to hear of your progress, but it would be helpful if telephone enquiries were limited to immediate members of your family. Where possible, one person should call on behalf of the family. It is important to note that in order to maintain confidentiality, detailed information may not be discussed over the telephone.

If you do not wish staff to give information on your progress to callers, please inform your named nurse or the nurse in charge.

If a relative or close friend would like to discuss your care with medical or nursing staff then, with your permission, the nurse looking after you will arrange this.

Medicines

Please bring all the medicines you are taking at home, for example:

All medicines prescribed by your doctor
All medicines bought from a pharmacy, shop etc
When you arrive in the ward give these to the nurse in their original containers for safekeeping.

If you have a special card, e.g. steroid card or anticoagulant card with details of current treatment, then please bring this with you.

If appropriate, and with your permission, your own medicines may be used while you are in hospital.

Clothing

Two night-dresses or pyjamas, Dressing gown and slippers
A set of comfortable clothes e.g. track suit, and a pair of shoes

Toiletries

• Soap, face cloth, tooth brush and paste / denture cleaner, hairbrush and comb, shampoo,
• shaving kit or electric razor, tissues.
• Spectacles
• Hearing Aid
• Dentures
• Walking Aids (please label with your name before admission)
• Pension or Allowance Books
• Money for immediate needs
• Reading material
• Writing paper, envelopes, pen and stamps.

Location & Transport

Information on how to get to the hospital by public or private transport is included at the back of this booklet.

If your family doctor feels that you need help with transport to get to the hospital, an ambulance or hospital car can be arranged for you. Otherwise you are expected to make your own way to the hospital.

If you have difficulties making transport arrangements then please contact ward staff who will be pleased to give advice.

Parking

Car parking facilities for visitors are available within the grounds of the hospitals. Parking is very limited, however, so we would ask you not to leave your own car at the hospital for the duration of your stay. Where possible, every opportunity has been taken to provide parking for the disabled.

Your co-operation is requested to ensure that the entrances to wards and departments are kept clear for emergency vehicles. Please remember, cars are parked in the grounds at your own risk.

Special Needs

Most entrances to the hospital have ramps and wheelchairs are available on admission if required. There are lifts to all patient areas where required.

Access is permitted for guide dogs, hearing dogs, etc. If you have any special needs or requirements, please tell a member of staff.

All parts of the hospital are clearly sign posted but if you have difficulty in finding your way, please ask a member of staff.

Settling in on the Ward

When you arrive in the ward a member of the ward team will meet you, show you around and explain the ward routine.

It is important to inform the nursing staff if you:

• need someone to take care of your pension or social security
• need medical certificates during your stay
• have property which needs safekeeping
• require assistance with eating or if you have special dietary requirements, e.g. diabetic, vegetarian, etc.
• have brought any medicines or tablets with you
• have a visual or hearing impairment
• It is helpful if a relative or friend can accompany you to the ward. They can help you to settle in and then take away any clothes and personal belongings not needed during your stay in hospital. Although everyone has a bedside locker, space is limited on the wards.

Assistance with Communication

If you have difficulty in speaking English please bring a relative or friend to the hospital with you. They can then help to explain things to staff. When there are very difficult communication problems, ward staff can arrange for an interpreter to come to the hospital.

Please make staff aware of any communication difficulties you have and usual methods of communicating, e.g. British Sign Language, or other aids used.

Religious or Cultural Preferences

When hospital staff are filling in your admission forms please let them know if:

• there are any religious laws which you wish to keep while in hospital
• you wish to be visited by your religious leader
• there are any foods which you are not allowed to eat for religious reasons or you require a special diet
• you are worried about being examined by clinical staff or students of the opposite sex
  

You will meet a number of different members of our staff during your stay in hospital. All staff should be wearing a badge showing their name and job title. If you are in any doubt as to their identity, however, please ask to be introduced.

The Senior Charge Nurse of the ward heads the team of nurses looking after you. Staff will tell you who your named nurse is when you are admitted. This nurse will be responsible for co-ordinating your care throughout your stay in hospital. When they are not on duty other members of the nursing team will be responsible for your care. The Consultant directs your medical care, assisted by a team of doctors and other specialists.

Other staff you may meet during your stay include:

Ward Clerk - Physiotherapist - Pharmacist
ECG Technician - Occupational Therapist - Social Worker
Radiographer - Speech & Language Therapist - Chaplain
Dietician - Domestic and Portering Staff

Please let us know how you prefer to be addressed by all staff involved in your care.

Information about your Treatment

Please ask your doctor or nurse if there is anything you want to know about your treatment or the medicines you are receiving. It is also important to let staff know if you are worried or if you are in pain or discomfort. This will allow them to help you and deal with any concerns.

Information about your treatment is strictly confidential to the staff involved. They will not pass information on to anyone except your family doctor without your permission.

If you wish, staff can arrange for you or your relatives to discuss your treatment with either the medical or nursing staff. If you would prefer these discussions to take place in a confidential setting, rather than at your bedside, this can be arranged.

Consent to Treatment

It is important that you understand any treatment that is to be carried out and the doctor will explain this to you. Please feel free to ask questions if anything is not clear or if you would like further information.

For some types of treatment written consent is required, in other instances verbal consent is sufficient. If you are under 16 years old, your parent or guardian will normally be asked to give consent.

Clinical Teaching

NHS Tayside is a recognised centre of undergraduate and post-graduate teaching. On occasions there will be students attached to the clinical team as part of their training. They may ask you if one of the students can participate in your care.

We appreciate your co-operation in helping us train future doctors and health professionals, however please let us know if you would rather not have a student in attendance. We will respect your wishes at all times.

Use of Moving and Handling Equipment

It may be necessary for staff to help you to move, either in bed or around the ward. If this is the case then it is likely that staff will use a piece of moving and handling equipment or aids. These are designed to protect both you and the staff from injury. Staff will explain the procedure to you before using any equipment.

Accommodation

In most areas you will be cared for in a single sex ward, bay or room. However, this is not always possible in specialist areas e.g. Cardiac Care, Intensive Care, High Dependency Care, Renal Unit or in certain admission wards.

Staff will make every effort to ensure that your privacy and dignity are respected and protected at all times.

Sometimes, due to shortage of beds, patients may have to be moved to another ward. You will, however, remain under the care of the same consultant and medical staff.

Confidentiality

For the purposes of your present and future medical treatment, staff record details of your medical care. This information may be used for research purposes and to help indicate the kind of health services which patients require. Staff take great care to ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times.

Access to Health Records

If you wish to see your care records at any time during your stay, please ask the doctor or nurse. If you wish to see your records after you have gone home you can make a formal application under the terms of the Access to Health Records Act 1990, which relates to health records created from November 1991. Application forms are available from the Hospital Medical Records Manager. There may be a charge to cover costs.

Data Protection Act

The Data Protection Acts allow you the right of access to computerised information which NHS Tayside holds about you. If you wish to apply for access, or if you would like more information about your rights under the Act, then please write to the Information Services Manager at Ninewells Hospital.

Catering Service

Mealtimes vary between the wards, but are generally between the following hours:

Breakfast 7.00 - 9.00 a.m. Lunch 11.30 - 1.30 p.m. Tea 4.30 - 6.30 p.m.

Hot and cold drinks are provided mid-morning, mid-afternoon and at night.

Staff will give you a menu to complete every day, offering a choice of what you would like to eat and also of portion size. Healthy choices are indicated on the menu, in line with NHS Tayside's Food & Nutrition Policy. Diabetic and vegetarian options are usually incorporated in the main menu. Meals are usually ordered one day in advance. Special ethnic meals are available on request, with advance notice.

If your treatment/condition requires a therapeutic diet then one of the dietitians may visit you.

Your Food and Drinks in Hospital

Your Food and Drinks in Hospital part 1 [mp3 file 2.11 MB]

Your Food and Drinks in Hospital part 2 [mp3 file 1.96 MB]

Your Food and Drinks in Hospital part 3 [mp3 file 2.82 MB]

Your Food and Drinks in Hospital [20 KB]

Telephones

There is a telephone trolley available on each ward. Public telephones are available at various locations in the hospital. Please ask staff for details.

Most hospital payphones are fitted with an induction loop system. Hearing aid users should, therefore, switch their hearing aid to the "T" setting in order to eliminate background noise.

Call charges for payphones throughout NHS Tayside are made at B.T. payphone rates.

Radio and Television

At every bedside there are headphones for radio reception, please ask nursing staff if you require a set of headphones. Most wards have at least one television available, some side rooms also have T.V. sets.

In the interest of preserving quietness for other patients, please do not bring your own radio or television set into hospital without discussing this with the nurse in charge.

Post

Letters and parcels are delivered to the wards daily and will be distributed under the direction of the nurse in charge.

Post for collection should be given to one of the ward staff.

Smoking Policy - Buildings and Grounds

It is against the law (Smoking Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005) for anyone to smoke within NHS Tayside buildings (exemptions exist for patients in residential psychiatric units and adult hospices).

All NHS buildings and grounds are smoke-free. It is not permitted to smoke within vehicles parked on site.

Hospital in-patients can smoke in designated external smoking areas only. Please ask ward staff for directions. No one, other than in-patients, is allowed to smoke in these areas.

Anyone wishing to stop smoking can contact the Tayside Smokeline for help 0845 600 999 6.

For more information, please see the NHS Tayside Smoking policy.

Out-patients, visitors, staff, contractors, students etc. must leave the grounds to smoke.

Fire Procedure

Our fire alarm installations are subject to a regular check. On each occasion the alarm will operate for no more than 20 seconds. This is only a test procedure and should not give cause for concern.
For your safety all staff are regularly trained in fire drill. They will take the necessary action in the event of a fire incident.

Chaplaincy Services

The Chaplain visits all wards regularly, and will be happy to meet with you or your relatives. Your own minister, priest or religious leader is also welcome to visit you in hospital. Please speak to ward staff if you want them to arrange this for you.

Social Worker

If any personal or family problems arise while you are in hospital, a social worker is available to help and advise. Speak to nursing staff in the ward and they will arrange an appointment for you.

Staff involved in your care will start planning your discharge with you shortly after admission. They will discuss with you any special arrangements that need to be made.

Discharge Medication

We will give you a supply of medicines if new treatments have been started or if your own supplies are insufficient. You will normally receive at least seven days supply of medicines to take home. You should contact your General Practitioner soon after discharge to obtain a prescription for further supplies.

Discharge Checklist

There are a number of things which need to be organised before you leave.

Staff will:

• confirm your discharge date at some time during your stay. You will normally receive at least 24 hours notice of the date and time of your discharge.
• discuss with you any special arrangements which need to be made before you get home, e.g. for District Nurse visit, Home Help, etc.
• check that transport arrangements have been made.
• An ambulance can only be arranged if there are medical reasons that make it necessary.
• This means that in most cases it is your own responsibility to arrange how to get home.
• Ward staff can give you the telephone number of a local taxi company if needed.
  make arrangements for a discharge medication prescription.
• give you a letter to pass on to your family doctor.
• give you advice on what to do and whom to contact should any problem occur between discharge and first contact with your family doctor or community services.
• arrange an out patient appointment for you, if necessary.
  
  You should:
• make sure that you have appropriate clothes and footwear for travelling.
• arrange for a relative or friend to collect you when you are ready to leave.
• pack all your personal belongings.
• remember to leave any hospital library books.
• check that you have your house keys.
• give the ward staff a forwarding address for your post if you are not going to your own home.
• check that staff have returned any money or valuables which were handed over for safekeeping.
  
  Please check the back of this booklet for the Cashiers Office opening hours.
  confirm that agreed arrangements are still in place for your discharge, and if you have any concerns discuss them with your named nurse.
  

Members of the hospital staff are not allowed to accept personal gifts. NHS Tayside can, however, accept donations for the benefit of patients and staff and will use such gifts to purchase items not financed by other funds, for example additional equipment or amenities.

If you wish to make a donation, please give it to the nurse in charge of the ward. You can also send it direct to the Director of Finance & Information, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1 9SY, identifying the specific ward or department you wish to benefit from your gift.

The NHS Helpline is a telephone enquiry service, providing basic information on various aspects of health service provision, operated on behalf of the Management Executive of the National Health Service in Scotland. The contact number is Freephone 0800 22 44 88, operating from 9.00 a.m. - 8.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, except for national holidays, with an answering machine to take calls at other times.

Advocacy is about providing support to help people reach decisions about their health care, treatment and social needs.

An Advocate will

• Support NHS users if they have difficulty communicating because of illness, disability or lack of confidence
• Help clarify anything clients don’t understand
• Help people get answers to questions
• Assist clients in making their views and anxieties known
• Enable people to be involved in decisions about their treatment, if that is what they want
• Make sure clients know how to complain if things go wrong
• Represent their client’s wishes
• Enable people to act for themselves as far as possible
• Never do anything on a client’s behalf without their approval
• Maintain confidentiality at all times

Further details and addresses of local Advocacy Services are included at the back of this booklet.

Fife Scottish Omnibuses Ltd, St Andrews 01334 - 474238
Scottish Citylink Coaches Ltd, Perth 0990 - 505050
Stagecoach Buses, Perth 01738 - 629339
Strathtay Scottish Omnibuses Ltd
Arbroath 01241 - 870646
Blairgowrie 01250 - 872772
Dundee 01382 - 228054
Forfar 01307 - 466144
Montrose 01674 - 672855
Travel Dundee 01382 - 201121