• Remember to let relatives or friends know that you will be admitted to hospital, and give them the hospital’s telephone number and ward telephone number (if known)
• Cancel any regular deliveries such as milk or newspapers
• Cancel any home help, like meals-on-wheels or cleaning
• Arrange for dependent relatives or pets to be cared for
• Dispose of any perishable food

• Your admission letter and details of next-of-kin, closest friend or relative
• Any medicines that you use (including non-prescription and herbal medicines), and a list of any allergies you may have
• Clothes: two nighties or pyjamas; dressing gown and slippers; daywear (comfortable clothes) and underwear
• Toiletries: toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, shampoo, hairbrush, shaving kit, deodorant, flannel or sponge, box of tissues, ear plugs and sanitary products as appropriate
• Money for telephone, television and internet services
• Any walking or hearing aids – spectacles, contact lenses or dentures (please bring cases with your name on and cleaning equipment for these items)
• You may also like to bring: your diary or personal organiser, books, magazines, knitting, puzzles, electronic games (please keep these on silent mode so as not to disturb other patients), pen, paper, stamps, bottled water.

• Towels or bed linen – these are provided by the hospital
• Washing powder – there are no laundry facilities on the wards, so please ask a friend or relative to do any washing for you and bring any extra changes of clothes you need
• Valuables – large amounts of money, jewellery, expensive games, computers or music players
• Anything noisy – please don’t bring your own TV, radio or DVD player
• Alcohol – is strictly not allowed in any of the Trust’s hospitals and is not available in the Trust cafes and restaurants
• Mobile phones – you can use mobile phones in the hospital but they must be switched to ‘discreet’ mode when used on the wards. Please be considerate when using your mobile phone; we ask that your visitors leave the ward area to make or receive calls. The use of any form of camera or other recording equipment is strictly forbidden without the express permission of staff in advance.

If you need to change your admission date, please contact us as soon as possible. We will try to arrange a date that is convenient for you. If you have special needs (such a diet or equipment), please let us know. Your admission letter should give a contact number for your enquiries. If you are unsure, call the switchboard and they will connect you to the correct ward.

Read your admission letter carefully; it will tell you what to do to prepare for your admission. Please make sure you follow any instructions about eating or drinking on the day of your admission, otherwise your treatment may be delayed or postponed.

If you get a cough, cold, skin infection or stomach upset, please call the admissions number on your letter or call the ward where you are being admitted.

If you have a key worker, social worker or other professional who regularly helps you at home, please talk to them and the team at the hospital before your admission. This will help us to ensure we get you home as soon as you are well enough to leave hospital, and make all the necessary follow-up arrangements have been made.

If your main carer would like to continue to help with your care during your hospital stay please ask the nurse in charge – we would be delighted if they could help at meal times or with personal hygiene. Relatives of seriously ill patients are also welcome to stay at their bedside and parents are very welcome to stay with their children.

If your relatives or friends need to travel long distances in order to visit, they may be able to stay in our accommodation complex opposite the hospital subject to availability. We have two double and two twin rooms at £30 per night for one person and £40 a night for two people, including breakfast and overnight parking. Please ask at Main Reception.

We would like to make your stay as comfortable as possible and aim to provide you with a choice of appropriate diets and promote ‘’Eating for Health’’.

Individual menu cards will be brought to you each day for you to choose your food. The menus provide a choice of meals including vegetarian. A cooked breakfast is available for a small charge. If you need a special diet for medical, religious or cultural reasons or assistance with eating and drinking please speak to your nursing staff. If you miss a meal, a snack box is available from the catering department – please ask.

Good nutrition will improve your recovery and will be part of your treatment. Make sure you eat regular meals, at least three times a day. Eating a varied, healthy and balanced diet will ensure that your nutritional needs are met.

During an illness you may find it difficult to eat and drink sufficiently. If this is the case, a diet high in protein and calories will help to improve and maximise your nutritional intake and recovery.

We have several information sheets available for people requiring special diets:

• Menu advice leaflets will help you to receive meals best suited to your needs e.g. gluten free , high protein and calorie, low fibre, low residue, moderate salt and dairy free. The information sheets on modified consistency diets include a puree diet, soft/moist and soft diets.
• ‘Free from ‘ leaflets give a list of the cooked meals and puddings that are free from a specific ingredient i.e. dairy, egg, gluten and wheat, tomato, yeast, salt, soya, onion and nuts
• We also have diet sheets which provide information on managing a specific dietary modification at home. Please ask the Nursing Staff for a copy of the information you require.

If there are no suitable meal options on the menu to meet your special/ dietary needs or cultural preferences, please indicate your requirements on the menu and we will aim to provide a suitable meal for you. If you miss a meal, a snack box is available from the catering department.

If you have any other questions regarding your menu, please speak to a member of the nursing staff who will contact the Catering or Dietetic Department.

Your relatives may only visit at meal times to assist you with eating and drinking. We are not able to heat or store food in ward kitchen areas.

The hospital has a canteen and coffee bar which are open to visitors as well as staff. Hot meals, salads and sandwiches are available in the restaurant on Level 2 which is open from 7.45am to 5pm and 6.30pm to 8.15pm on weekdays and from 8am to 2pm and 6.30pm to 8pm on weekends and bank holidays. Snacks are available in the Coffee Shop located in the Outpatients Department on Level 3 on weekdays.

Vending machines offering drinks and snacks are also on hand with 24-hour access to machines in Accident and Emergency and Women’s Hospital waiting areas.

Newspapers, magazines, stamps, gifts, cards and toiletries can be bought in the Friends of Yeovil Hospital shop in the main entrance area on Level 3. It is open from 9am to 8pm on weekdays and between 2.30pm and 4.30pm and 6.30pm and 8pm at weekends. A trolley visits the wards every weekday afternoon.

Patients, staff and guests can access a free Wi-Fi network at Yeovil Hospital offering 100% coverage and unlimited usage. Simply connect to the Public Wi-Fi network on your smartphone, tablet or laptop and you will be prompted to self-register by entering in your name and mobile telephone number. A free text message will be sent to your mobile phone with a username and password giving seven days of unlimited internet access. After seven days users can self-register again and continue to use the free Wi-Fi service.

Preventing falls

Patients fall for a variety of reasons whilst in hospital but for many it is just because they are in a strange and different environment.

The following may help prevent you from falling

• Call for help if you feel dizzy or unwell
• Ensure you know where the call bell is and that you can reach it
• Be aware of obstacles on the ward, wet floors and other people around you
• Be careful when you get in and out of bed or chair
• Wear your glasses
• Wear slippers with non slip soles
• If you normally use a walking aid (stick or frame) bring it into hospital with you
• If the toilet seat is too low let a member of staff know
• Beds can be adjusted to suit individuals. If yours is too high or low let the staff know

Reducing the risk of a blood clot

Undergoing an operation or a stay in hospital where you are inactive for a period of time may increase your risk of developing a blood clot. To reduce the chances of this happening to you:

• Get mobile as soon as possible following advice from your physiotherapist
• Keep well hydrated and drink plenty of fluids
• You may be given a compression stocking to help stop the blood collecting in your veins or provided with medicine to stop your blood clotting

A leaflet is available from ward staff. You can find out from staff as to whether you have been assessed.

Declaration of compliance on mixed sex accommodation

Yeovil District Hospital is pleased to confirm that it is compliant with the Government’s requirement to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation, except when it is in the patient’s overall best interest, or reflects their personal choice.

We have the necessary facilities, resources and culture to ensure that patients who are admitted to our hospital will only share the room where they sleep with members of the same sex, and same-sex toilets and bathrooms will be close to their bed area. Sharing with members of the opposite sex will only happen when clinically necessary or when patients actively choose to share – this could apply to the younger patients in our children’s ward for example.

If our care should fall short of the required standard, we will report it. We will also set up an audit mechanism to make sure that we do not misclassify any of our reports. We will publish the results of that audit on our website.

March 2012

Very rarely we may have to cancel your planned admission because of a large number of patients requiring emergency care. If your operation is cancelled on the day of admission, we aim to re-admit you within a month of the cancellation.

It is important that patients can observe their faith while in hospital, for example, by going to chapel services or being able to have the right food.

The Chapel on Level 4 is open from early morning to late evening and people of all religions, or none, are welcome to use it for quiet reflection or prayer. The service times are listed near the door.

The chaplaincy is not only about religious services. Chaplains are available every day to meet anyone who is anxious or wants to talk. The chaplain can also contact your own minister, priest or religious leader. A member of the hospital chaplaincy team is always on call – just ask ward staff.

Radio Camelot, Yeovil District Hospital’s own radio station broadcasts to the wards. Special requests for inpatients can be left by recorded message on 01935 384499 or left at the studio on Level 2 next to the hospital restaurant.

To ensure mail sent to you is delivered promptly it would help our post room staff if it is clearly marked with your name and ward. Our postal address is: Yeovil District Hospital, Higher Kingston, Yeovil, Somerset BA21 4AT. If you have stamped outgoing mail please give it to the ward staff. Collections from the post box in main reception are at 5.30pm on weekdays.

If your first language is not English and you need help to communicate with staff we can provide interpreters for most languages. There are telephone or face-to-face interpreters available as well as text translation services. If you need a face-to-face interpreter this can take up to 72 hours to arrange, so please give us as much notice as you can.

The nursing staff caring for you will discuss your discharge arrangements. They may involve other members of the healthcare team such as a physiotherapist or occupational therapist to ensure you have a safe discharge. Most people return to their own home, but some will need support from a health and social care team.

Will I have to pay for support at home? You may have to make a contribution for the cost of services provided by Social Care. This will require a financial assessment and a social worker will be able to explain any charges you may need to pay. If you do not wish to give your financial details maximum charges will apply.

What if I can’t go home now? You may not be able to return home immediately because of practical difficulties or important decisions that need to be made about your future. The team looking after you will explain where we can support you during this time.

Once your treatment has been completed and you no longer require the specialist nursing care we provide you will not be able to stay in hospital while you are considering the options or recuperating as we need to provide care for others in need of urgent treatment. You may be transferred to a community hospital although it is not always possible to go to the hospital of your choice.

What if I need permanent residential or nursing care? If it has been agreed that your needs will be best met in a residential or nursing home you will need to find a home that you can move to immediately. This may not be your preferred home, or location, but there may be an opportunity for you to move on when a place becomes available at a later date. Your social worker or discharge co-ordinator will help to identify a suitable home. Information about care homes in Somerset is available on-line at www.carehomesinsomerset.org.uk or telephone Somerset Direct, a service for adults with care needs, their relatives and carers, on 0845 345 9133.

Signposts can also provide information about health services, community care and disability services on a freephone available during office hours on 0800 317220.

Going home: You should consider:

• Do you have a key or someone to let you in?
• Do you have clothes, shoes and a coat to go home in?
• Will there be food in the house?
• Will your accommodation be warm enough?
• Have you any relatives, close friends or neighbours who can help you if needed?

Once the decision has been made that you can go home, please arrange to be picked up at an agreed time. We ask all patients to vacate their bed by 10am on the morning of departure. After you have been prescribed any medication you need to take home pharmacy staff will supply any new or amended items.

If you need to wait for transport or medication you will be invited to wait in our comfortable Discharge Lounge, located in the Queensway Day Hospital. Please notify the ward staff of any transport difficulties – the lounge is open until 5pm. Meals and refreshments are available with parking facilities for you to be collected.

Discharge lounge

The Discharge lounge opening times are: Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm

The lounge is situated within the Hospital on level 2 in the Queensway Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit. Relatives can pick you up without the inconvenience of having to find a parking space or purchasing a parking ticket as there is a designated pick up area right outside the lounge.

Access for relatives is gained via the entrance to the Queensway Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit. If your relatives or transport are unable to collect you from the ward before 11am, you may be transferred to the discharge lounge until they arrive. This helps the hospital provide beds for patients waiting to be admitted.

The lounge is equipped with comfortable chairs, a selection of books and magazines. A television and radio area is provided adjacent to the lounge and a use of a telephone is available on request.

Sandwiches and hot meals are provided free of charge as are hot and cold drinks throughout your stay in the lounge. A packed lunch/supper can be provided if your journey home coincides with a mealtime.

The patio area of the garden can be used if weather permits.

The Discharge Lounge Co-ordinator will help make your stay in the lounge comfortable, and will work with the following people / departments while you wait in comfort:

• Ward
• Pharmacy
• Portering
• Transport
• Relatives

If medication is required on your day of discharge, please confirm time of availability from the co-ordinator, before arranging your own transport, as delays can occur during peak periods.

The Co-ordinator will also complete any remaining aspects of your care, to ensure a smooth and safe discharge home.

If you require any further information contact the Discharge Lounge Co-ordinator, Queensway Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit.Tel: 01935 384876.