Ashton Ward Patient information booklet Information
Welcome to Ashton 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: 2-30pm- 3.30pm 7.30pm 8.30pm Visiting times allows patients time to wash, have their meals, and see the different health care professionals involved in their care. If visitors need to come to the ward outside of these times, please speak to the nurse in charge to plan this in advance. We allow no more than two visitors at the bed side. The reason for this is to reduce the amount of noise and activities in the bays for patients going to theatre or recovering from operations. Weekly car parking passes are available on request. 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. 2
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. 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. 3
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 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. 4
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 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. 5
Allocation of beds Ashton ward contains 31 beds; there are four bays of 6 beds, one bay of four beds, a side room of two beds and one individual side room. 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. 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. Therapy We work as a team to provide a safe discharge back into your own home. It is important that you participate fully in the physiotherapy and occupational therapy rehabilitation programme. 6
Staff involved in your care whilst on Ashton 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. Leaving hospital The therapy you receive will be designed to enable you to go home on discharge. At the end of your stay with us it is your responsibility to arrange your transport home, we are happy to advise on this. We will aim to get you home early on your date of discharge where possible. We will assist you into the Trust s discharge lounge early in the day for you to wait for your medications and lift home in comfort. 7
A full explanation of new medication will be given to you to take home. Any medication you brought with you into hospital will be returned to you. Your nurse will give you instructions regarding your antithrombotic stockings (TEDS). These are to be worn for a total of 6 weeks. Washing instruction will be given to you. Instructions will also be given to you regarding your wound dressing and the removal of clips/sutures (stiches). Dressings will be provided for you to take home should your wounds need to be redressed. An outpatient appointment for about six weeks time will follow in the post for you. 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: Ashton Ward 01536 492764 or 01536 492763 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 961 September 2015 Next review: June 2017