At the hospital

FREE WIFI and entertainment at UHNM

1. Connect to NHS WiFi

2. Visit www.uhnmtv.co.uk

and have access to:

• Watch 20+ freeview TV channels
• Listen to 20+ Radio Stations
• Access to free newspaper and magazines
• UHNM TV - Exclusive charity content
• Access to Hospital Radio

If you need any guidance, there is a 24 / 7 / 365 Service Desk on hand to help. To contact them, call WiFi SPARK on 0344 848 9555 or email support@wifispark.com.

At UHNM we believe that providing patient entertainment can aid in relaxation and recovery and that’s why we’re excited to offer SPARK® Media to all our visitors.

Hospital Radio Stafford (HRS) is Staffordshire's very own free hospital radio station. It began broadcasting in January 1972 and has grown both in broadcasting capacity and popularity over the last 47 years.

Hospital Radio Stafford broadcasts to Royal Stoke University Hospital, County Hospital, Cannock Chase hospital and to Katharine House Hospice.

Patients and visitors may listen to HRS 24 hours a day, all year round. At Cannock Chase and County hospitals, patients may listen from their bedside entertainment system; at Katharine House visitors and residents may listen in the main lounge and at Royal Stoke patients and visitors may tune into HRS on any web enabled device such as a smart phone, tablet or laptop computer via the Hospital's WiFi free of charge for as long as they like.

HRS relies on fundraising and generous donations to enable the service to continue. More than 35 volunteers from all walks of life devote free time to broadcast, make programmes and visit patients to collect music requests.

More information about HRS can be found at : www.hrstafford.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @hrstafford and keep up to date with events on Facebook www.facebook.com/hrstafford

​Thank you for listening.​

Wheelchairs are available from the entrances of our buildings. If you have a problem locating a wheelchair, please ask a member of staff (please note, some of our wheelchairs are coin operated).

We are working towards both our hospitals becoming smoke free sites and we are encouraging staff, patients and visitors to smoke off our sites and away from the main buildings.

We have made smoking shelters available for both staff, patients and vistors but ideally we wouldn't have to use these and would prefer that people didn't smoke due to the health risks.

Large no smoking signs have been/ are being put up around the hospital site - in areas where smokers tend to be, however it is something that is difficult to police and occasionally staff might ask patients and visitors to move to a smoking shelter. 

We rely on the support of patients and visitors to take notice of the signs and not to smoke on site, particularly at entrances to the hospital - not only is this about protecting their own health but also the thousands of other people who use the hospital every day.

We understand that you will be anxious to visit family or friends when they are unwell in hospital, but we strongly advise and request that you do not visit if you are unwell, as this could be detrimental to patients, staff and other visitors. You should be free of any symptoms for 48 hours before coming to the ward. This includes cough, colds, vomiting and diarrhoea.

If your relative is found to have an infection whilst in hospital, please speak to the nurse in charge when you visit as there may be special precautions which need to be taken when visiting is taking place. Please ensure that you thoroughly wash and dry your hands after visiting the toilet. Please do not sit on the bed or use the patients' toilets.

Please do not share the patient's toiletries, tissues or items of hospital equipment with other patients, unless it has been approved by a member of the nursing team. Please do not touch the patient's wound or any devices such as drips or catheters.

Please talk to the Ward Manager or ask to see the Matron if you have any concerns about the cleanliness of the environment, during office hours Monday to Friday.

Hand hygiene

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust takes its responsibility to protect people from the spread of infection very seriously. Hand washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection. Alcohol hand gel is also effective, providing people's hands are clean. Our hands are normally covered in two types of bacteria which we cannot see:

- Those which normally live there and are harmless.

- Those which are picked up on our hands from surfaces and objects in our environment, for example door handles. These types of bacteria can travel to other people.

- The travelling bacteria can easily pass into people's bodies and cause infection, particularly when they are ill or after an operation when their immune systems are less effective. This means that their body's ability to destroy bacteria is reduced. There are two simple measures that we can take to prevent spread of infection by bacteria:

- Everyone must wash their hands when they are visibly dirty, especially upon visiting hospital wards and departments. 

- Everyone must use hand sa​nitizer gel dispensers upon entering the hospital and wards or departments, even when hands appear visibly clean. 

- Dispensers are found at the main entrance to the hospital and at ward and/or department entrances.

- Let's all cooperate together to help prevent the spread of infection.

Infections in hospital

Here are some of the high profile infections that every hospital must control:

• MRSA
• C Difficile
• Norovirus
• Flu

If you come into hospital it can sometimes feel a bit like an alien environment. You're lying in a hospital bed wondering what's going to happen next. Who are these people who keep coming and going on the ward. It can be very confusing, we want to show you what some of the uniforms mean, who the staff are and the sorts of things they do.

• Matrons wear a purple uniform. They manage a number of wards, working closely with ward managers on the standards of care and the ward environment. They are responsible for cleanliness and infection control. If someone raises a concern about the quality of care they receive, it's the matrons who make sure that actions are taken to put things right. Matrons try to spend time with patients wherever they can to ensure we can constantly improve our performance.
• Clinical nurse specialists wear a grey uniform. They are registered nurses who have advanced nursing knowledge, skill and experience (which is supported by an academic post-registration qualification). The key aspects of the role include clinical care, education, research and management. They use their work with patients and other clinical staff to devise better care procedures. 
• Sister/Ward Manager runs the ward on a day to day basis and reports directly to the Matron, they wear a dark blue uniform. Being the sister is a mixture of clinical care - directing activities of the team on the ward to ensuring all patients receive the clinical care required - and being a role model, demonstrating to staff what is expected professionally, and being responsible for all aspects of the ward. There is also an element of having to manage resources.
• Senior Staff Nurses wear a teal uniform. They are qualified healthcare professionals who are highly experienced nurses. They work alongside our staff nurses and may perform some of the same duties.
• Staff Nurses wear a light blue uniform. A nurse is a qualified healthcare professional responsible for treatment, safety, and recovery of acutely or chronically ill patients. They promote health across the ward and perform a wide range of clinical and non-clinical functions necessary to the delivery of health care. They can also be involved in medical and nursing research.
• Nursing Assistants wear lilac uniforms. They work with nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals, helping with care and looking after patients' comfort and well-being.
• Ward Clerks work under the guidance, supervision and instruction of the Ward Manager and other qualified staff on a hospital ward. They are often seen carrying out administrative duties on the ward, especially at the nurses' station.
• Ward Assistants wear a mustard coloured uniform. They provide drinks to patients in the morning and afternoon. Ward assistants also help patients chose their meals from the menu, order the meals and serve them to patients.
• Volunteers wear a yellow uniform. Volunteers do a fantastic job in the Trust and their efforts are greatly appreciated by all staff. We now have over 100 volunteers working in a huge variety of areas.
• Domestic staff wear light green uniforms. They work in wards and other areas of a hospital as part of the cleaning team to help the hospital prevent the spread of infections. They tend to have a lot of contact with patients and their visitors.
• Physiotherapists wear a white uniform with dark blue collars and sleeves. They treat a range of physical problems caused by accidents, illness and ageing, particularly those that affect the muscles, bones, heart, circulation and lungs. Physiotherapists work across the Trust assessing, treating and advising on respiratory, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions, to enable patients to be discharged.
• Dietitians wear white uniforms with dark red collars and sleeves. They work with people to promote nutritional wellbeing, prevent food-related problems and treat disease.
• Occupational therapists wear white uniforms with green collars and sleeves. They help people to overcome physical, psychological or social problems arising from illness or disability, by concentrating on what they are able to achieve, rather than on their disabilities. Occupational Therapy enables people to achieve as much function/independence as possible. Therapists try to foresee any problems people may experience, ensuring a safe discharge from hospital.
• Student Nurses wear a very fine blue and white pin stripe uniform. They are here on placement as part of their studying at Keele University. It's a three year course and they achieve either a diploma or a degree in nursing and degree in midwifery. While they're with us, the students learn a variety of ward task under supervision of a Registered Nurse/Midwife. They have different coloured epaulettes to show which year they're in (1st year white, 2nd year blue and 3rd year red).

Moment To ... Restaurant

The 'Moment to . . .' Restaurant is located on Floor 1 overlooking the Main Entrance atrium. The spacious restaurant serves a variety of hot meals and sandwiches throughout the day. The restaurant is for use by staff, patients and visitors.

Costa Coffee

The Costa Coffee outlets are located in the Atrium in the Main Entrance and in the Lyme Building entrance. The shop serves a variety of hot drinks, sandwiches and a range of cakes.

Royal Voluntary Service outlet

RVS is located at the entrance of the Maternity Building. WRVS supply hot and cold beverages and hot food, such as toasties and Panini's. There are also a range of gifts available, especially for the new babies arriving at the Maternity Centre. The Trust very much welcomes the support of the volunteers of WVRS.

WHSmith

WHSmith is located in in the atrium off the Main Entrance. The outlet offers a wide range of newspapers, magazines, confectionary and much more.

Free telephone points are available for the use of patients and visitors throughout the Hospital. These are provided by Info-point, and can be found in entrance locations. All the machines have a taxi contact on them which you can also use free of charge. 

Pay a visit to Nightingales restaurant where you will be assured a warm welcome from our friendly catering team. The 200-seater restaurant is located on the first floor of County Hospital, opposite Ward 8.

WHSmith stocks a wide range of drinks, sweets, snacks, newspapers, magazines and toiletries such as toothbrushes, tissues and shampoo.

La Patisserie offers an extensive selection of readymade and made to order sandwiches and baked goods such as pasties and pies, cakes and pastries.

A coffee shop located in the Outpatients Department, on the ground floor.