BEING A PATIENT

Settling In

Personal Belongings and Valuables

A small bedside locker is provided for your personal belongings; however, wardrobe space may not be available. You should not keep any valuables or money with you other than a small amount for newspapers or items from the hospital vending machines.

The hospital accepts no responsibility or liability for you money or valuables brought into hospital premises unless they are handed in for safe keeping in return for a signed receipt. The yellow disclaimer notice on your locker is a reminder of this. Money or valuables may be safely deposited with us and will be released on presentation of the receipt.

Personal Medications

It is important that you bring with you all medications, creams and herbal remedies you have been taking, also any special cards, such as steroid or diabetic cards which you usually carry. Please inform the nurse or the doctor that you have your medicines/cards with you.

Your Treatment and Care

Your care is provided by a clinical team led by your General Practitioner. The team also includes your named nurse(s), visiting Consultants and other support staff. The Ward Manager manages the ward environment and supervises your nursing care. There are many other staff e.g. domestic, catering and portering staff, who are vital members of the hospital team. All are dedicated to your care whilst you are in hospital.

Information About You

Our Commitment to Confidentiality

Everyone working in the health care sector has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. Data protection law strictly controls the sharing of some types of very personal information and anyone to whom we give information to has a legal duty to keep it confidential. We ask you for information about yourself so that you can receive proper care and treatment. We keep this information, together with details of your care, securely in our medical information system under the supervision of our health records staff, in case we need to see you again. We are extremely aware of the need for confidentiality, particularly on a small island.

We sometimes use some of this information, where possible sparingly and on an anonymous basis, for other purposes, For example:

• To protect the health of the public
• To show that our hospital runs efficiently
• To plan for the future
• To train our staff
• To account for our actions
• To help educate tomorrow’s clinical staff (you can choose whether or not you wish to be involved)
• To carry out medical and health research (if anything to do with the research involves you personally, you will be given the choice of taking part or not and you will not be identified in any published results)

Next of Kin

Unless you tell us of any special requirements, your next of kin, family or friends will be kept up to date with the progress of your treatment.

Sharing Information with Other Agencies

You may be dealing with or receiving care from other agencies. We may need to share information with them about you. We ensure that we act only in professional confidence. We pass on information about you only if it is in your own or the public interest. If you have particular concerns in this area, you may speak to the person in charge of your care or contact a senior manager, e.g. the Clinical General Manager responsible for the service you are receiving.

Your Consent to Treatment

Your doctor and members of your care team will be pleased to share with you information relating to your illness and will be pleased to answer your questions. Please do not hesitate to ask your doctor or named nurse if you want to know anything about your illness whilst you are in our care at Ramsey & District Cottage Hospital. Before you have a procedure or operation carried out, the doctor is required to give you a full explanation and to outline the risks. He/she will check that you understand what is being said. If you don’t understand, please ask the doctor to explain again. He/she will then ask you to sign a consent form, indicating your agreement to proceed.

If you are a child or a young person over 16 years of age and can demonstrate a full understanding of what is being said, you may sign your own consent form. Information leaflets about consent are available for you to read within the hospital.

Your General Health in Hospital

Promoting Good Health

Ramsey & District Cottage Hospital promotes health by offering you a wide range of information in leaflet form. Please feel free to take any you feel are relevant to you.

Catering

Ramsey & District Cottage Hospital has excellent catering facilities where meals are prepared daily on site. Special dietary requirements can be catered for. Please advise ward staff if you have any special requirements.

Smoking Heading

Smoking can damage your health. We encourage no smoking whilst you are in hospital. If you wish to smoke, please only use the facilities provided. Please do not smoke in other areas.

Visiting

We understand that visitors can assist in your recovery and well being whilst you are in hospital. Every effort will be made to accommodate your visitors but please try to be considerate to other patients. Please check with the Ward Manager for visiting times, but usually they are 1pm to 8pm, daily.

Books

There are a limited number of books available in ward areas. Please feel free to borrow these if you wish.

Your Discharge from Hospital

• Medication
• Ambulance Transport on Discharge
• Your Post
• What to do on Discharge
• Your Concerns on Discharge

Telephone Numbers

Below is a list of useful telephone numbers at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital

DisabledGo Information

Terms & Conditions

©2010 Crown Copyright