Barnwell Ward Patient information booklet Information
Welcome to Barnwell Ward This information booklet contains useful information for you about the ward. If you have any questions while you are with us please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff. Visiting Times Visitors are welcome to the ward at the following times: 1pm 7pm The visiting times allow patients time to wash, have their meals and see the different health care professionals involved in their care. We do encourage visitors who wish to care for their family member to come onto the ward outside of the normal visiting hours. Please ask the staff nurse for guidance if you wish to take up this opportunity. If visitors need to come to the ward outside of this time, please speak to the nurse in charge to plan this in advance. We allow no more than two visitors at the bed side. If visitors are present at meal times and you need assistance with eating, we will ask that your visitors assist you with your meal. If this is not appropriate we will ask you relative to wait off the ward to give you time to eat your meal. Weekly car parking passes are available on request. 2
Telephone numbers We know that your relatives will phone to enquire about how you are while in hospital. Please give them the contact numbers at the end of the leaflet We suggest that one relative or friend is allocated to keep in touch with the ward. This prevents miscommunication and reduces the number of interruptions allowing the nurses to use their time efficiently with patients. Infection prevention and control Everyone can help prevent the introduction and spread of infection in hospital. Please support us by following the principles below and pass this information on to visitors who may come to see you during your stay: Use alcohol gel (at the ward entrance) to disinfect hands on entering and leaving the ward. Please ask visitors not to bring children under 5 years old to visit on the ward. Please ask visitors not to sit on beds or patient s bedside chairs, plastics chairs that are provided in the bay. Visitors are asked to use the public toilets located on ground floor. 3
Meal times Kettering General Hospital has a protective meal policy which means that wherever possible you will not be disturbed at meal times to have any investigation or test. Breakfast Lunch Dinner 8.00am onwards 12.15pm - 1.15pm 4.15pm -5.15pm Snacks are available during the day. If for any reason you miss a meal please inform your staff nurse who will order you a meal. Drinks are served after meals and are available throughout the day. Food from home We have a fridge which can be used to store food for patients. However, owing to limited capacity this cannot be extended to all patients. Any patient who requires a special diet or particular foods can keep them in the fridge. We do not microwave food on the ward. Medications Medication is administered during four medication rounds per day at the following times: 8am 1pm 6pm 10pm 4
If additional medication is required between these times, please speak to your nurse. Nurses wear red tabards while administering medication which alert colleagues and visitors to the fact that they are administering medication. The purpose of the tabards is to prevent the nursing staff being interrupted while they are administering your medication to reduce the risk of any medication errors. Medication is stored in lockers at your bed side, and in lockable trolleys. Other medication is kept in the treatment room. What to bring into hospital If you have been admitted to hospital in an emergency we will ask your relatives to bring in the below items: Medications Please bring all the medications including any creams or ointments that you usually take at home, into hospital with you, and any special cards that give information about any of your medications or treatments. Clothing Please bring pyjamas /nightdress, some comfortable day clothes, slippers or foot wear with grip. Appropriate and safe footwear is essential to help prevent slips, trips and falls. Your safety is our priority. There will be a clothes locker for you to store your clothes and property. The lockers can contain two days of clothes but they are compact in size. Toiletries and tissues Walking or dressing aids That you usually use at home 5
Books/ magazines There is limited storage space on the ward so we would be grateful if relatives could take your clothing laundry home to wash. Property Please do not bring or keep items of value in hospital. The Trust cannot be responsible for any of your personal possessions during your stay. If you wish to keep items of value with you, we will ask for you to sign a disclaimer form accepting responsibility for their safekeeping. Allocation of beds Barnwell ward contains 51 beds across two wards. Each ward has four bays of 6 beds, and there are 3 side rooms. On admission you will be allocated a bed. While you are staying with us we may need to move you to a different bed. The reason for this will be a clinical need, for example to allocate you to a bay closer to the nurse s station for visibility or to meet the safety needs of another patient. Side rooms are allocated mainly to patients for infection prevention and control and for patients who are critically unwell. Privacy and dignity We have core standards and expectations of behaviour of all our staff. Similarly we do not expect our staff to be subjected to any verbal abuse or threatening behaviour. We have both male and female nurses and care assistants on the ward. If you prefer to be nursed by a nurse of the same sex as yourself please inform one of the nurses. 6
We have a whiteboard at the nurses station and will ask your permission to put your name on it. The whiteboard enables health care professionals involved in your care to quickly locate you on the ward. Staff involved in your care whilst on Barnwell ward Ward Matron - Navy blue tunic / dress with blue piping Ward Sister/Charge Nurse Navy blue tunic/ dress with white piping Staff Nurse Female blue tunic/dress with white piping, male - white tunic with blue epaulettes Assistant Practitioner Peacock blue tunics/dress Health care assistant (Female) pink tunic/dress with white piping, (male) white with pink epaulettes. Ward Clerks Navy and white spotted blouse / navy trouser/skirt Housekeepers Purple tunics Physiotherapists White or pale blue tunics Occupational Therapists White or green tunics Pharmacy Dark Green tunics Phlebotomists White tunics Ward rounds You will be under the care of an Orthopaedic Consultant. There are ward based doctors ward who will review your care every day. The full medical team are on duty from Monday to Friday 8am to 5.30pm. 7
Leaving hospital The plan for your discharge will be discussed with you throughout your stay. On the date of your discharge we will assist you into the Trust s discharge lounge early in the day, for you to wait in comfort for your medications and lift or transport home. A full explanation of new medication will be given to you to take home. Any medication you bought with you into hospital will be returned. Your experience The Matron or Sisters are on duty Monday to Friday and most weekends. There is always a designated nurse in charge for each shift as well (identified by a nurse wearing a red Nurse in Charge badge). We are always keen to hear about your experiences on our ward. If you would like to speak to the Matron or Sister, please inform your staff nurse. We will ask you to complete a Friends and Family survey about your experience on the ward. Contact information If you would like any further advice or information, please contact: Barnwell Ward 01536 492768 01536 491700 If you need this information in another format or language, please telephone 01536 492510. Further information about the Trust is available on the following websites: KGH - www.kgh.nhs.uk NHS Choices - www.nhs.uk Ref: PI 960 September 2015 Next review: June 2017