At your Pre-operative Assessment Appointment we will ensure that you have all the information you need for your operation or treatment. You will be given instructions on preparing for your stay and what to bring with you on the day of your admission.
On the day of admission
Please bring the following items to hospital with you:
- Your appointment card or letter.
- Your personal details, including your current address and telephone number.
- Your GP’s address and telephone number.
- A freshly laundered dressing gown so that you can keep warm, as it is important that we stop you getting cold.
- Any prescription medication you need to take during your stay
- Wear loose fitting tracksuit style clothes – as few items as possible.
- You may bring a mobile phone and charger if you wish.
- The name and contact details of the person (a friend or relative) who will be collecting you from the hospital.
- Well-fitting slippers (not backless).
- Own walking aids.
- Night clothes (loose fitting).
- Toiletries
- We also ask that you use a small foldable bag to pack any items you have been asked to bring with you, as we are unable to look after large suitcases.
When you arrive at the Treatment Centre
- We would like you to arrive up to 60 minutes before your admission time at the theatre suite reception on level 4.
- The staff at the theatre suite reception will register your arrival with the theatre team.
- You will be asked to wait until you are called through to a private pre-op bay where you can change out of your clothes, if your operation requires and you will be prepared for the operation.
- Any belongings will be placed in a property bag and placed in a locked cabinet for safe keeping. Please do not bring valuables with you.
- A nurse will carry out some health checks.
- A therapist will discuss your rehabilitation with you.
- The surgeon will discuss the final preparation for your operation and confirm your consent for the procedure. (NH – do we have a link to our own consent pages?)
- If you are having a procedure under local anaesthesia this will be administered by the surgeon. Otherwise an anaesthetist will explain and prepare you for the type of anaesthetic appropriate for your operation.
- You will be awake until you arrive in the operating theatre even if you are going to have a general anaesthetic.
- You will be asked to walk to the theatre unless the anaesthetic prohibits you to do so or you have mobility problems; in which case you will be taken on a trolley or wheelchair to the operating theatre.
- Every Surgeon working at Treatment Centre is on the specialist register of the GMC (General Medical Council). Our nursing staff are highly qualified, registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and dedicated to caring for our patients in a warm and professional manner.
Getting to the Treatment Centre
Please arrange for someone (a friend or relative) to take you to and from the Treatment Centre. After your operation you will be taken from the theatre to a recovery area, before being taken to the Swift ward to continue your rehabilitation with us.
You will remain on the Swift ward in a single or double patient room for the duration of your stay with us and until you are discharged.
Your room
All the patient rooms in the Swift Ward at the Treatment Centre have been designed to the highest possible standard and provide:
- Rooms for one or two patients (no one of the opposite sex will share)
- Ensuite bathrooms
- Freeview TV (you may bring your own headphones to connect to the TV if you wish)
As you would expect after any operation you will undergo continuous monitoring of your general and operation related health, and as part of the enhanced recovery programme we will continually monitor key areas of your progress associated with a speedier recovery.
Going home and your care
On the day of discharge all your discharge arrangements will be in place. If someone is collecting you please inform the ward staff who will arrange with you a time for your discharge so that you can inform the person collecting you. Patients will be contacted after 24hrs to ensure that they are progressing as expected. On discharge you will be given a contact telephone number for the 24hr helpline.
Recovery at home
It takes time to recover from any operation and you may need to arrange for a family member, friend, neighbour or carer to help you with some day-to-day activities depending on your needs.
