We welcome you on your visit as an inpatient to Northampton General Hospital and we hope your stay with us to goes as smoothly as possible. This section contains important information to prepare you for your stay including:
Please also ensure you visit our during your stay with us page for information on meal times, hospital ammenities and more information.
We lmpw our patients may be converend about being hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are doing all we can to protect our patients and staff. Some of the measures include swabbing all patients on admission and possibly also during their say, more frequent hand hygiene, enhanced cleaning, social distancing and the wearing of protective equipment such as face masks, eye protection, aprons and gloves.
This information leaflet provides you with more information about what we are doing and what you can do to reduce the risk of you becoming infected before your hospital admission.
Your admission
You should have received a letter with the admission date you have agreed with the hospital and details about where to go when you arrive here. If you are unsure about anything please telephone the contact number on the letter. Alternatively, please call our switchboard on 01604 634700.
Some departments have a slightly different process for admission, and therefore it is important to follow the instructions in your letter.
What if I can't make my admission date?
If you become unable to make your admission date, please let us know straight away. Call the number on your admission letter so that we can rearrange your appointment and give your bed to someone else. If you fail to do this, it may affect your position on our waiting list.
Cancellations
We try our best to avoid cancelling operations, but sometimes it happens. Examples might be if your health changes or our doctors must do unplanned emergency surgery. In cases like these, we will try and give you as much notice as possible. If, in the rare instance, we need to cancel your operation on the day of admission or when you are already in hospital, we will make sure you are treated within 28 days. We will in all cases do everything possible to avoid this happening.
When we schedule your operation we will try to select a date that is convenient for you. If at any time the date becomes inconvenient, please let us know immediately.
What if I have questions about my operation or treatment?
If at any time you have questions about your operation or treatment please speak to the nurse in charge, your doctor or anaesthetist. You may like to write these questions down so you don’t forget. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions if you attend a pre-operative assessment appointment.
What will my ward be like?
The Trust is committed to providing the best possible accommodation for patients, which respects patients’ need for privacy and dignity and enables safe, high quality care to be provided. You will be cared for on a ward appropriate for the treatments of your particular condition or illness. Once on the ward, we are committed to ensuring your comfort and privacy at all times.
We will do our best to ensure you are cared for in a designated male or female area on our wards. We have recently invested £1.8million to improve our ward facilities and create dedicated male and female areas, toilets and bathrooms.
If you have any concerns about where you will be cared for, please talk to a member of the ward staff when you arrive. We always try to provide care in surroundings that take account of your personal, religious and cultural needs. Some departments within the hospital continue to have mixed sex areas due to their specialist nature, but they will do their best to maintain your privacy and dignity at all times.
What to bring
It is important that you bring:
-
Your admission letter and any other information we may have sent.
-
Any personal medicines or inhalers that you are using at the moment.
-
Any letters or x-rays detailing your current medical condition.
-
Any medicines or tablets you are currently taking
-
Any special aids you use (eg walking stick, hearing aid)
-
The name and contact details of any care agencies that may be supporting you at home
You may also want to bring:
-
Night clothes, day clothes for longer stays
-
Dressing gown
-
Bedjacket or cardigan
-
Shaving items
-
Soft shoes or slippers
-
Sanitary towels
-
Washing and toiletries (including toothbrush and toothpaste)
-
Towels
-
A box of tissues
-
Hand wipes
-
Things to do (eg reading, writing materials, crosswords, knitting)
-
Your spectacles or contact lenses
-
The name, address and telephone number of your GP
Storage space is limited on all our wards. Please bear this in mind when packing for your stay with us, and don’t bring clothes you will not need. Some areas will encourage you to wear your day clothes when appropriate, however space remains limited so minimal requirements are appreciated. The trust cannot be held liable for your belongings, and labelling your items clearly is recommended.
Please do not bring
-
Valuables, jewellery or large sums of money (The trust cannot be held liable for their loss)
-
Alcohol
-
Mobile telephones (These are not allowed on wards and in clinical areas, although they may be used in public areas of the hospital.)
-
Personal audio equipment – unless you first check with ward staff, and always use headphones or earphones.
Access Policy
We have an access policy that covers the collection, interpretation and definition of nationally-agreed data standard for the NHS. Treating patients, delivering a high quality, efficient and responsive service, as well as ensuring prompt communication with patients, are the responsibility of not only the hospital but also the wider local health community. This policy been developed to ensure there is consistency, equity and confidence in the process of managing patient care from outpatients through to admission and treatment for the people of Northamptonshire.
Information leaflets
We have some leaflets which you may find useful to read before your admission to hospital.
Don't forget
Remember to let your relatives and friends know you are coming into hospital and give them your ward name and the hospital telephone number – 01604 634700. To reduce the amount of incoming calls it is useful if only one member of your family calls the hospital, and passes the information to family and friends