Grab Sheet 1 – The Health Check At The Doctor’S Surgery

GRAB SHEET 4 – PLANNING TO STAY IN HOSPITAL

Planning to STAY in Hospital

Planning to stay in hospital is sometimes called an ‘Elective Admission’. This means that as a patient, you have chosen to accept treatment in hospital.

There is some useful information below. This should help you prepare for a hospital admission if you need to. There are useful hints and tips to make your stay in hospital as good as it can be.

Useful things that can help:

Special Liaison Staff:  Ask at the hospital if there is a learning disability liaison nurse? If there is, ask for this person to be present at your admission meeting. Learning Disability Liaison Nurses are there to understand the needs of people with learning disabilities and get the most out of hospital services to meet those needs.  Patient Advice and Liaison Services or PALS should also be informed if you are coming to stay in hospital. They can provide useful information for you and your carers, relating to hospital services.

Visit the Hospital: It is a good idea to visit the hospital before your stay. This way, you can get to know some of the staff and where everything is before you come in for treatment. PALS should be able to help you.

Created by Mark Bradley for Debra Moore Associates www.debramooreassociates.com GRAB SHEET 4 – PLANNING TO STAY IN HOSPITAL

Your Hospital Passport:

A Hospital Passport is a useful record of your health needs. It is designed to copy easily and give to hospital staff. You can record the most important things hospital staff need to know about your health; like allergies, any medication you take or if you could choke easily etc. It also has a section for the things you’d like when in Hospital; for example, how people speak to you and what Hospital food you like. Passport Getting this information to hospital staff quickly is really helpful. It is good if you can be prepared with a hospital passport like the one in the Picture. These can be downloaded from: http://www.easyhealth.org.uk/FileAccess.aspx?id=760

Your Health Book or Health Action Plan: The Health Books being used around the country are really useful to store more detailed information about each person’s health. If Hospital Staff need more detail than what is in the Hospital Passport, having this book Helth Book or could be really useful too. Health Action Plan Your Medication: Some people do not have up to date information about their health written down. It helps hospital staff to know what medication their patients are taking. If you can, please bring your medication with you or a list of what Your tablets you take and when you take it.

Your GP Details: It is helpful to know:  Your GP’s name  The address of the surgery  The Telephone Number  All of this information should be in your hospital book – get one if you don’t have one!

Before you go to the Hospital:  Find out if you are allowed to eat or drink?  Some people are admitted on the night before their surgery and may be asked to be ‘NIL BY MOUTH’ Allowed to Eat? which means that you cannot have any food until after your operation.

Being treated in Hospital:  Ask the doctor to explain any treatment you are being offered.  If you need an operation, you may have to sign a consent form.  You can arrange a meeting with the Learning Ask the Doctor! Disability Liaison Nurse or your Community Nurse to talk about consent and the support you might need.  Only you can give consent as an adult. Preparing for the Hospital visit is very important when thinking about consent to treatment.

Consent: Details on consent can be found here: Choosing http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/Pu treatment? blicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4006066

Personal things to make you comfortable: When people stay in hospital for more than a couple of days, they often like to have their own things with them:  Toiletries, like shampoo, toothbrush, deodorant, cream etc. Some people having operations get dry lips from being Nil By Mouth. They find a chapstick helps them to be comfortable.  Comfortable clothes: Slippers, pyjamas, bath robe Things to pack etc.  Books or headphones. Some hospital wards have their own phones and televisions. Again, visiting the hospital in advance will help you decide what you need to bring with you. Being Discharged or Leaving the Hospital:  Make sure you have the right support at home before you leave the hospital  If you live alone, ask before you leave the hospital if you should have someone with you at home.  If you are given medication to take after you leave, make sure you know what it’s for, and for how long and how often you need to take it.  Find out who you should contact if you feel unwell again after leaving hospital.  If you have a health action plan, make sure you update it with the latest information from the hospital.  Finally, take the time you need to rest and recover at home!

Created by Mark Bradley for Debra Moore Associates www.debramooreassociates.com