You will already have received a letter to let you know when you will be coming into hospital.
It will explain what you need to do before leaving home, what to bring into hospital, the date and time of your admission, where you need to go and how to confirm your admission.
What to bring with you
Please make sure you have everything you need before you leave home.
If you stay at hospital regularly or know you may need to come in at short notice, for example if you are heavily pregnant, you might want to have a bag already packed so that you can come straight to hospital.
Make sure you have packed:
- Your appointment letter
- The name, address and contact numbers of your next of kin
- Any regular medicines, pills or tablets you are taking
- Hearing aids, glasses, contact lenses, false teeth and mobility aids (if used)
- Pyjamas, a dressing gown and a pair of slippers
- Comfortable day clothes – for example, shorts, t-shirts, leggings and tracksuits
- Socks and underwear
- A towel
- Toiletries, including soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, razors, tissues and a hairbrush or comb
- Sanitary products and continence aids (if worn)
- A small amount of money to buy things such as newspapers or to us our Hospedia services
Mobile phones are permitted in some areas and we have free WiFi across our Trust. Please make sure you bring a charger and some headphones if you would like to listen to music or stream videos.
You might also want to bring something to keep you entertained. For example, books and magazines, puzzles or a favourite toy for a child.
Health passports
Please bring any health passports with you to help us give you the care you need.
This includes patient passports for patients with learning disabilities, ‘this is me’ slips for patients with dementia or communication difficulties, and catheter passports.
Valuables
Please try to leave your valuables at home and only bring in a small amount of cash to buy essentials.
We can only accept responsibility for items handed over to us for safekeeping. We will give you a receipt for these items for you to redeem. Please look after this carefully.
Keep warm
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends you keep warm before, during and after your operation. Staying warm can reduce side effects and complications, and help you recover from your operation faster.
Please make sure you bring plenty of warm clothing for your stay in hospital. Bring socks, slippers, a dressing gown, vest and a jumper to stay warm and cosy.
If you are being admitted as a day case patient, please try and keep warm on your journey to and from hospital. Bring a coat just in case the nice weather turns while you are with us.
Special requirements
Please let us know if you have any requirements such as sight, hearting, mobility or dietary needs.
If English is not your first language and you need the services of an interpreter, we can arrange this for you. Please let us know before your admission date. If you have been admitted in an emergency, let a member of staff know what your needs are as soon as possible. We want to make sure you feel safe and comfortable while you are with us.