Guide for inpatients

Update: 20 May 2020

Please click here to see information for patients and visitors about changes to services during COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are coming to Wycombe Hospital for an elective (pre-planned) procedure or operation, please click here to read a letter with information about where to park and what to expect on the day of your surgery.

In this section you will find information on:

• What to bring with you
• What not to bring to hospital
• Consenting to treatment
• Leaving hospital
• Further help and support

What to bring with you

• any relevant paperwork/ admission letters from GP or hospital
• medication
• next of kin details
• GP name, address and phone number

Planned admission

If you are being admitted for pre-planned treatment or surgery you should have been informed in your admission letter about what to bring.

Emergency admission

If you or your relative/friend has been admitted as an emergency these are the items likely to be needed in addition to the list above:

• nightdress or pyjamas
• underwear
• dressing gown
• toiletries – including toothbrush/paste, soap, razor/shaving foam, hair brush/comb
• towel
• tissues
• slippers
• hearing aid, glasses or dentures if worn
• book/magazines
• writing material
• small amount of cash for hospital shop/ward newsagent trolley
• house keys if not left with a relative/friend.

What not to bring into hospital

• do not bring anything of high value or large amounts of money into hospital unless absolutely necessary. However, if you do, make sure they are clearly labeled with your name. It is best to use an indelible marker pen or name labels. If you bring valuables into hospital, please let the nurse in charge know and they can arrange for the items to be kept safe and for you to be given a receipt. 
  
  Remember the hospital is a public place, so anything you do not hand over for safe keeping will be your responsibility and the Trust cannot compensate you if anything is lost or damaged. Please be aware that the Trust will not be held liable for small personal items such as dentures and glasses that are left on beds or meal trays and are taken away with the laundry or waste. These items are your responsibility.
  
  We will only accept responsibility for the loss or damage to patients’ property which has been handed over for safe keeping and for which an official receipt has been issued.  Valuables or large amounts of cash may be left with the hospital cashiers and retrieved when you leave hospital. Please note that if you hand money in for safekeeping, amounts over £100 will be reimbursed by cheque and will be posted to your home address.
  
  If any of your property is lost or misplaced while you are in hospital please report it immediately to the nurse in charge.
  
  If you need to claim for your lost items, please contact:
  Claims and Litigation Dept,
  Trust HQ,
  Amersham Hospital
  Whielden Street
  Amersham
  HP7 0JD
• alcohol must not be brought into hospital
• televisions and radios

Lost property

If you find any lost property, it should be handed in to a member of staff at the cashiers department (during office hours) or to a member of staff at the reception desk at other times.

Non-smoking

Please note that we operate a strict non-smoking policy across all our sites. Visit the Buckinghamshire smokescape website for more details about giving up smoking.

Consenting to treatment

We want to make sure that you fully understand your condition and the different treatment options available to you. Before you receive any treatment, your doctor will explain what he or she is recommending, including the benefits, risks and any alternatives. Please ask questions if you are unsure about anything.

You may be asked to sign a consent form for your treatment. You are able to refuse treatment at any time, including after you have signed a consent form. If you are unsure then please ask us for further clarification.

Leaving hospital

Plans for your discharge will start to be discussed with you and your family early on in your hospital admission to identify what arrangements, if any, need to be made to facilitate this process. When your consultant has decided that you are ready to be discharged a date will be confirmed.

On the day of discharge you should ensure that you are ready to leave your bed by 10am so that it can be made available to another patient.

Transport home

You are responsible for making your own arrangements for getting home unless your healthcare team has advised that hospital transport is required.

Visit our help with travel costs section for more information on travel to and from hospital.

Things to remember on going home:

• ensure that you have a supply of any medicines prescribed
• ensure that you have been advised about any follow up outpatient appointments
• ensure that you have your house keys and any valuables handed back from safe keeping
• ensure that the ward has correct details for your GP to forward a discharge summary
• ensure that your next of kin is aware that you are leaving hospital

Further help and support

If you are unhappy about any aspect of your care, please speak to the nurse in charge, who will try to resolve matters for you there and then.

If you need further help or advice, you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at your hospital.

Your views about our services are important to us. Your experiences will help us to improve existing services and influence our future plans. We welcome your comments and feedback.

Wheelchair access: All pedestrian entrances are suitable for wheelchairs. There are disabled toilets in key locations around our hospitals.

Sensory impairment: Signers can be arranged to help during your visit. Please call the number on your appointment letter to let us know what help you need. Please give as much notice as possible. Guide dogs may accompany you during your visit, but please give the clinic staff as much notice as possible so that they can accommodate this. Please call the number on your appointment letter.

Disabled parking: Parking at all of our hospitals is limited but we do our best to help disabled patients arriving by car. There are parking staff at all of our sites who will be able to direct you.

Please note that parking for people with disabled badges is free for all of our hospitals, either in the allocated bays close to building or in the regular parking bays elsewhere.

For more details on parking visit our parking section.