1. Hospital Visits (made easy) My hospital journey booklet 1

2. Hello my name is Ian and I am going to take you on a journey through the hospital. 2

3. You may come in through A&E some people call it casualty. 3

4. You may come by ambulance, car, taxi or you may walk. 4

5. When you arrive you will book in at reception. The receptionist will ask you some questions. She will tell you where to wait. 5

6. Then you see the triage nurse who will ask you “what is wrong ?”. They will then tell you what is going to happen next 6

7. You may be taken to a cubicle. A nurse may take your blood pressure. They will tell you if you need to see a doctor. Your relative or carer may stay with you. 7

8. The doctor wears a green uniform. They may wish to examine you and treat your problem or they may say you need to stay in hospital. 8

9. You may need to have an x ray. This takes a photograph of inside your body. 9

10. Sometimes you need to stay in hospital on a ward. 10

11. The porters may take you in a chair or on a trolley to where you need to go. Porters always wear light blue shirts. 11

12. Some people have to have an operation to make them better. 12

13. Nurses will take your temperature and blood pressure. 13

14. You may have to have some blood taken from your arm. 14

15. You may be coming to hospital to visit a friend or for an out-patient appointment. 15

16. You can ask for help at any reception desk. 16

17. The receptionist may ask you some questions. 17

18. They also have volunteers that can help you find your way around. The volunteers may be from the WRVS. 18

19. They have quiet places to sit. 19

20. You will be asked to wash your hands lots of times. This is to stop people passing on germs. 20

21. You can ask to see our chaplaincy staff at any time. 21

22. Or you may wish to visit the chapel. 22

23. When you are going home you may be asked to wait in the discharge lounge. This is if you are going home in an ambulance. 23

24. There are places to get something to eat and drink. 24

25. There are shops you can go to for newspapers, magazines, toiletries, clothes and gifts. 25

26. These are some of the people who are in charge at the hospital. 26

27. The trust board thanked me for working with them to make things better for people with a learning difficulty. 27

28. IF YOU NEED HELP All the staff want to make sure that every patient experiences safe, clean and personal care every time. If at any time you think your care is not safe, clean or personal you should: 28

29. 1.Alert the ward nursing team, so that they can address your issues. 2. Alternatively contact PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service): Tel: 0161 206 2003 or drop in to their office In the HOPE building. 3. If you (or your carer) still have serious concerns about safety, or think someone might suffer harm unless urgent action is taken, please contact the dedicated HELP-line on 0771 886 3376 and a senior clinician will review your concerns within the hour. Jan 2013 29