In certain instances, you may have to be transferred between wards, for instance, if you require specialised rehabilitation after your initial treatment or require more intensive care. This may also occur when emergencies arise with other patients. We try to keep transfers between wards to a minimum.
On the Ward
Your pharmacy team as an inpatient. The pharmacy team will:
- Check your medication history with you and ask if you have any allergies.
- Talk to you about all of your medicines.
- Give you access to written information about your medicines. This will normally take the form of the product patient information leaflet which is supplied with every product.
- Give you the opportunity to ask questions about your medicines. For example, any potential side effects.
During your hospital stay, your pharmacy team will:
- Ensure that you have a sufficient supply of medication for your hospital stay and at least two weeks supply to take home.
The pharmacy team works to ensure:
- Your prescribed medication is as safe and effective as possible.
- That any medicines that you were taking at home which are to continue are prescribed.
- All medicines are prescribed correctly and safely on your hospital prescription chart.
- That all of your medicines are kept securely in your bedside medicines locker.
In order to provide the best possible care it is important that you remain on the ward, in close proximity to specialist clinical staff. Patients who leave the ward do so at their own risk. Risks include delayed and/or omitted treatments, deterioration in your condition and potentially opening yourself and others up to infection.
A range of facilities exists within the Trust for disabled staff, visitors and patients, which are all fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act. In particular, the following items are available throughout the site:
- Allocated car park spaces
- Toilets for the physically disabled in all areas
- Induction loops to assist the hard of hearing
- Visual Fire Alarms for hard of hearing in a range of areas
- Lifts to all floors with voice indicators
- For information on the location and use of these facilities please ask a member of staff.
If you are due to have an operation, please carefully read the following:
Consent
Prior to you undergoing any procedure or operation a staff member has to obtain your agreement. He/she will explain the procedure/operation to you including details of what to expect and any possible risks/side effects. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have regarding your procedure/operation and be required to sign a consent form.
The Anaesthetist
The anaesthetist will come to see you on the ward usually on the morning of surgery. You will be asked questions regarding your general health and medications you take. Your anaesthetist will explain what type of anaesthetic you will receive plus any possible risk/side effects of the anaesthetic.
Nil by Mouth
If you are coming in for a morning operation you will need to stop eating at midnight the night before (you should not chew gum as this is similar to eating), you can have water to drink until 6am. If you are due to have an operation in the afternoon you can have a light breakfast (a slice of toast lightly buttered) before 6am and drink water until 10am. If you are taking medications, the ones you should continue to take will be discussed with you at the pre-admission visit.
Theatre Checklist
A member of the ward nursing staff will go through a checklist prior to your procedure/operation to ensure all your details are correct and you are ready to have your procedure/operation.
Theatre Journey
Shortly before your operation a member of theatre staff will come to the ward to escort you to theatre. They will go through the theatre checklist with the ward nursing staff and check your consent form, wristbands and notes. You will walk with the member of theatre staff to theatre (which is why it is essential for you to bring a dressing gown and appropriate footwear). If due to medical/surgical reasons you are unable to walk to theatre, you will be taken to theatre on a theatre trolley/chair.
Post Operation/Procedure
After your procedure/operation you will be transferred to a recovery bay where a nurse will care for you until you are well enough to return to the ward. You will be transferred back to the ward on a trolley or bed and allowed to recover further from the anaesthetic and surgery under the supervision of the ward nursing staff. You are likely to have an intravenous drip and possibly an oxygen mask. Depending on your operation/procedure you may have a urinary catheter, drains and/or a drip with painkillers. All will be explained by both the nursing and medical staff.
Personal Laundry
The hospital deals with a huge amount of laundry but we cannot do your personal laundry. Please ask a friend or relative to help with this.
The patients’ menus for Stafford Hospital are on a two week menu cycle. We attempt to include in each daily menu a choice to suit all tastes.
Patients are assessed on admittance to the ward as to what their menu requirements are and our menus are colour coded to indicate the different diets that we cater for.
Apart from the normal menu (white), we also prepare meals for vegetarian/vegan patients (green), softs (pink), eat wells (lilac), low residue (orange), low potassium (grey), gluten free (yellow) and puree diets (peach).
By following the simple instructions at the top of the menu the patient can select a tasty, nutritious wholesome meal. We offer fresh fruit, fruit juices, salads, vegetables, wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereal choices.
Patients’ menus arrive on the supper time meal trays and the completed menus are collected in, by the ward staff, by 9am on the following morning. The menus are then sent back to the catering department who will collate the information to provide the patient with their meal.
The meals are then prepared, cooked and served within the main kitchen of the hospital and delivered to the wards in trolleys. The staff at ward level will then distribute the meals to patients. If the patient is dissatisfied with the quality of their meal, or the service, or need to be referred to a dietician, then they are urged to inform the ward sister who will in turn inform the catering department or if they need to speak to one of our dieticians then this can be arranged. Our aim is to please.
We cannot guarantee that our meals do not contain nuts or traces of nuts and so if patients suspect that they have a nut or other food allergy, then they are urged to inform the nurse in charge.
No genetically modified foods are used in the preparation of our menus. All suppliers have been contracted to ensure we serve a G.M.-free catering service to patients.
Hospedia - Bedside entertainment and Communications (County Hospital only)
The Hospedia system is installed in the hospital and available on most of the wards. Each patient has a dedicated telephone line with an individual number, which can receive outgoing and incoming calls, including international calls. Also included in the bedside console is a TV screen, which shows 20 channels, including the main terrestrial and freeview channels and 6 radio stations, including the hospital radio service. There is also an ‘other services’ facility that offers internet, games and surveys.
To register to use the service just pick up the bedside phone and press the operator button, this will connect with the 24hr call centre who will deal with any queries. Once registered the radio is free to use. To use the TV or phone, credit will need to be purchased, you can do this by visiting one of our vending machines situated in most of the wards, or phoning the operator to pay by credit/debit card. We offer 6 packages ranging from 1hr to 12 days.
Phone calls to landlines, games and internet are free once a TV package has been purchased.
TV is free for under 16’s from 7am until 7pm
For more information or any help, or to contact a relative/friend that is using the system please call 08454141234.
Mobile phones
Use of mobile phones is permitted in some areas of the hospital and on some wards. Please check to see if this sign is present before using your mobile phone. If in doubt, ask staff before switching it on. Mobile phones in hospitals can also disturb other patients, so on wards where they are permitted they should be set to 'silent' and they must be switched off if this is requested by staff. We request that patients do not use their mobile phones between the hours of 11:00pm and 7:00pm. This is so that all patients can get the rest they need.
By post
There is a post box at the Main Entrance. If you are not able to get to the post box a member of staff will be happy to help. If anyone wants to send mail to you during your stay, it should be addressed to you by name and show the ward you are on. The address is:
Royal Stoke University Hospital
Newcastle Road
Stoke on Trent
Staffordshire
ST4 6QG