General Medical Wards - Welcome to Ward 9 - Diabetes and Endocrine

Ward Manager: Debbie Ellenbogen

Contact number: 0161 778 2509

Ward Sisters: Wendy Reed, Julie McCabe, Tanya Warner, Anita Mooney and Stacey Naylor

Ward Telephone Number: 0161 778 2509

Welcome to Ward 9 at Fairfield General Hospital

We will do our best to make you and your family/friends as comfortable as possible during their stay with us.

This information leaflet aims to provide you with enough information to answer any questions or concerns you may have. If there are any questions you may have please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff on the ward.

If you have any concerns about the care of your relative/friend is receiving, please speak to the nurse in charge or call the urgent concern helpline. To do this please contact switchboard on 0161 624 0420 and ask for 1915 to be bleeped.

About Ward 9

Ward 9 is a 28 bedded mixed sex Medical Ward. It has 4 side wards and 4 bays. Each bedside has Patient line TV/Radio and Telephone access.

Bathroom and toilet facilities include equipment for the aid of those with disabilities. There are nurse call alarm lights by each bed.

During your stay

Once you have been allocated your bedside locker and placed your belongings into it please could you arrange for any bags/ suitcases to be taken home until you are ready for discharge.

In your hospital welcome pack you will find a number of information leaflets which we ask you to read. These include information on what you can do to prevent any pressure damage to your skin whilst you are in hospital.

Also included in the pack is information regarding infection prevention and what you and your visitors can do to minimise the risk of infection.

On admission you will be provided with hand wipes which are for your own use. We ask that visitors use the hand gel provided at the hand hygiene stations upon entering and leaving the ward.

Visitors are also kindly asked not to sit on patient’s bed and armchairs and to use the visitors chairs provided. Unfortunately due to infection prevention, fresh flowers are not permitted on the ward.

Admission

All patients are first welcomed to the ward. Staff will ask how they would like to be addressed e.g. Mr, Mrs or first name. A detailed assessment, in the form of a friendly question and answer session, is then made by a member of the nursing staff. This is only done if your condition permits. Relatives or friends may be able to answer questions for you. The treatment you require will also be explained at this time. Please ask any questions you wish. Any information about your illness or stay in the hospital will be treated in strict confidence.

If you are taking any medications, it is important to bring these to our attention on admission.

Staff

The ward is divided into a team of nurses. You will be informed of the nurse taking care of you on each particular shift.

During your stay you will be under the care of a named consultant and their team of doctors who will be responsible for your care and treatment during your stay in hospital. Our ward doctors review patients daily with the multidisciplinary team to discuss the patients treatment and discharge.

We are aware that it is not always possible for your relatives/ friends to attend the ward in order to get an update on how your are. However we are also limited to the information we can give out over the telephone so please can they bear this in mind when phoning the ward. Although a doctor may not always be available on the ward, a nurse will always be available to give any updates.

As well as doctors and nurses, other professionals may be involved in your care. This includes:

• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Dieticians
• Social Workers
• Podiatrists
• Pharmacists

If you have any questions, the nursing staff are available at any time to discuss this with you. If you would like to see a doctor, please ask the nurse in charge for help in this matter.

#EndPJParalysis - Get Dressed, Get Up, Get Moving!

During your stay in hospital, it is important to remain mobile and independnet. Spending just a few days in bed can be harmful to your muscles, causing deconditioning which can impact on your mobility.

We encourage patients to be dressed and mobile whilst in our care as their condition allows. Our hospital participates in the national #EndPJParalysis campaign. We ask that relatives bring the following items to help aid with your care and recovery:

Clothes:

• Night wear
• Suitable slippers(non-slip)
• Dressing gown
• Comfortable Day clothes
• Underwear
• Shoes (avoid backless shoes)

Toiletries:

• Hairbrush/comb
• Soap
• Facecloth
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste/denture cleaner
• Towels
• Tissues
• Shaving equipment
• Deodorant (non-spray)

The Hospital also supports and promotes 'John's Campaign'. If you have a relative with dementia, we encourage you to stay with them as often as you wish, even during restricted meal times, so that you are able to help and support them during their stay.

Mealtimes

We operate a protected meal time policy. This is to ensure that our patients have an uninterrupted time when they can eat their food in peace and that nursing staff are on hand to help if required. Visitors are asked not to visit during these times unless they are there to help patients to eat.

Mealtimes are at:

• Breakfast – 7.30am - 8am
• Lunch – 12 noon - 1pm
• Evening meal – 5pm - 6pm

Drinks are provided throughout the day as well as with meals

The ward lights are switched off at approximately 11pm, but night lights and bedside lights are available.

Visitors

Our visiting times are 10.30am - 7.30pm.

Please be aware that team members will be about and you may be asked to step outside when they are with the patient. We ask that visiting is avoided during the mealtimes (as above) except in special circumstances by prior arrangement with the nurse in charge.

We ask that you have only two visitors at a time as large groups can disturb other patients. Any additional visitors will be asked to wait off the ward. Visitors are also kindly asked not to sit on patient’s bed and armchairs and to use the visitors chairs provided.

Visitor’s chairs are provided on the ward. Please can these be returned following visiting.

Your relatives can phone your ward anytime for an update on your progress. It’s a good idea to nominate one family member to be the main point of contact. Our ward contact number is 0161 778 2509.

Broadoak restaurant

There is a restauraunt where you are able to buy hot food and refreshments. It is open 7 days a week (except bank holidays). The opening times are:

Breakfast: 8:30am to 10:30am

Lunch: 12 noon to 2pm

Spiritual Care Team

Chaplains are available from different denominations and faiths and are supported by a team of volunteers. You can see a chaplain at any time and the nursing team can arrange this for you. There is a Christian chapel is available to all who wish to pray or be quiet. There is also a prayer room with a women’s area (which is regularly used for Muslim prayers) and a Shabbos room. These facilities are all open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Teaching Students

Ward 9 is a teaching and learning environment therefore you may come into contact with Medical Students and Student Nurses. There may also be trainee therapists working on the ward. During your stay in hospital, procedures may be carried out by students and other healthcare professionals, as part of a recognised teaching / development programme. You do not have to take part if you do not want to and your treatment will not be affected in any way. Please let your nurse or doctor know.

General Information

There is a mobile shop which visits the ward early each morning where you are able to buy newspapers and sundry items.

Patients must accept responsibility for any valuables kept in their possession.

Leaving the hospital

We’ll begin to talk to you about leaving the hospital (being discharged) as soon as possible after your admission so that we can help prepare you.

Once we’ve agreed your discharge date with you, you’ll need to talk to your family, friends or carers to make arrangements for your return home. If you feel you may require extra help with things such as washing and dressing or shopping when you go home, tell your nursing staff as soon you can.

On the day, once your doctor has told you that you are able to go home, there are a number of things that need to happen, and it may take some time for all of these to be completed.

To ensure we have beds available for other patients who may need them, we will aim for you to be discharged before lunchtime.

Please make sure you take all your belongings with you, as well as any patient information leaflets, medicines and dressings you may need. You should also be given details of who to contact if you have any queries, along with a copy of your discharge summary which will include a list of medicines you need to take at home.

You should arrange for a friend or family member to collect you from the hospital. If your medical condition means that you need to be transported by ambulance your nurse will arrange it for you.

Once you are ready to go home, you may be transferred to the discharge lounge. This is a place where you wait to be collected by your carers, relatives or by an ambulance.

Tell us what you think about your stay

Feedback is of high importance to us and we value the opportunity to hear your thoughts regarding your stay!

To help us improve our service we encourage patients and carers to complete a ‘Friends & Family Test’ survey when you leave our ward. The comments our patients give get reviewed on a monthly basis and are a really valuable way of getting feedback on how we are doing and what we could improve on.

Compliments, concerns and complaints

A positive patient experience is very important to all the staff. We always welcome and encourage feedback whether it is good or bad.

If you have any concerns or complaints regarding your stay on Ward 9, please feel free ask to speak to your nurse or ward manager.

If you feel unable to communicate your complaint with ward staff, the Trust has the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) which is a confidential service that provides help, advice and information for patients, families and carers.

You can contact PALS by ringing 0161 604 5897.

Contact Information

Ward 9 – Diabetes and Endocrine, Fairfield General Hospital, Rochdale Old Road, Bury, BL9 7TD

Telephone Number: 0161 778 2509

Hospital Helpline - Fairfield General Hospital

Please contact switchboard on 0161 624 0420 and ask for 1915 to be bleeped.

PALS

Telephone Number: 0161 778 5665 Email: pals@nca.nhs.uk

Or you can drop into one of the PALS Offices on site. The PALS department is open between 9.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Alternatively, you can write to:

PALS Department, The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust Unit 7/8 Whitney Court, Southlink Business Park, Hamilton Street Oldham, OL4 1DB.