Coming Into Hospital RAEI & Leigh Infirmary

Coming into Hospital: Royal Albert Edward Infirmary and Leigh Infirmary

Patient Information

Surgery Services

Confirming your appointment

Please ring the Admissions Department to confirm that you can attend the hospital on the date you have been given for your operation.  The contact telephone number is:

0300 555 4567 (option 2). 

If you cannot attend for any reason, please let the Admissions Department know as early as possible, as another patient may be able to benefit from your appointment.

Preparing for your operation

• Having a bath or shower on the morning of your operation can help to reduce the risk of post-operative infections.
• It is very important you do not wear make-up, perfumes, aftershave, body lotions, nail varnish, false nails or jewellery when you come in for your operation.
• You may keep your wedding ring on.

Here are some of the things you can do to prepare yourself for your operation and reduce the likelihood of difficulties with the anaesthetic:

• If you are taking medication for high blood pressure or a heart complaint, take them as usual with a sip of water.
• If you are on aspirin, warfarin or blood thinning medication, follow the advice of the Pre-Op Clinic.

If you are having a Local Anaesthetic

This means the area around the operation site will be numbed by injection, but you are awake. You will be able to follow your usual routine, eating and drinking as normal unless you have been instructed otherwise.

If you are having a General Anaesthetic

• This means you are asleep during your operation. You will not be able to eat or drink prior to your surgery. 
• If your operation is in the morning, you must not eat any food from midnight the night before your surgery (milk is also classed as food). You may drink water up to 6am. Do not suck sweets or chew gum when you are fasting. 
• If your operation is in the afternoon, you may have a light breakfast before 6am. You may drink water up to 11am.

If you Smoke

Smoking increases the risk of complications during and after surgery and can delay wound healing.  To help reduce these risks, you need to have as many smoke free days as possible prior to surgery.  It is advised that you do not smoke on the day of procedure.

• A member of the Pre-Operative Assessment Team or ward staff can refer you to the Stop Smoking Service and arrangements can be made to supply nicotine replacement therapy.

With the aim of improving the health of patients and visitors attending hospital, the Trust operates a smoke free policy.  Smoking is not allowed within the hospital grounds, this includes E-Cigarettes.

If you drink alcohol

• Do not drink alcohol the night before your procedure.
• Patients are not allowed to drink alcohol whilst in hospital and visitors are asked not to bring alcohol into hospital for patients or themselves.

Recreational Drugs

• Recreational Medication must be avoided prior to surgery.
• Please discuss this with your GP if you feel you need help.
• Please discuss this with the anaesthetist on the day of surgery.

If you have loose or broken teeth, or crowns that are not secure

You may want to visit your dentist for treatment. The anaesthetist may need to put a tube in your throat to help you breathe, and if your teeth are not secure, they may be damaged.

Please let the hospital and your GP know as soon as possible if:

• You have developed a nasty cough and cold, or a fever, or diarrhoea.
• You do not want to have your operation anymore.
• You do not think you need an operation anymore.
• You have been in contact with someone who is known to have MRSA infection (after your visit to Pre-Operative Assessment Clinic). 
• You have been in hospital for an overnight stay in the last 12 months.

Things to consider at home before you come into hospital

You may be away from home either for a few days or just a short time. However, when you first get back home, you may not feel up to doing normal tasks, so it is worth planning ahead.

Here are some things you might want to consider doing:

If you are having day case surgery or there is a chance that you may go home on the same day, please ensure that you have a responsible adult that can stay with you for the first 24hrs.  Please arrange transport home prior to your admission into hospital.

If you live alone or there will be no one at home whilst you are in hospital:

• Tell your friends or neighbours you are going into hospital.
• Make sure your pets are cared for whilst you are away.
• If you are going to be away for a few days, remember to cancel your papers etc. 
• Do not leave food that will spoil in your fridge.
• If you have a freezer, it may be a good idea to freeze some bread, milk or other food.

What to bring into hospital with you

Clothes – it is important to stay warm whilst you are in hospital. If you are expected to stay in hospital for more than one night, you will be encouraged to wear your own day clothes.

Below is a list of things you might want to consider bringing in to hospital:

• An overnight bag with toiletries (including dressing gown and slippers)
• Spectacles
• Hearing aids
• Money for newspapers, telephones and Patient Line. (Mobile phone use is permitted in some areas of the hospital, please check with ward staff for designated areas).
• Walking aids, frames, sticks, crutches etc.
• Next of Kin Contact Number
• Contact details for local District Nurse Service and GP

If you feel cold at any time, please tell the nursing staff, they will organise an extra blanket.

As storage space is limited, pack sparingly and only bring a small bag.

Please do not bring valuables or large sums of money into hospital

On Arrival

• Due to limited space and to protect patient privacy and dignity, relatives and friends are unable to stay with the patient unless by previous arrangement.
• We will provide contact telephone numbers for family.
• We know that relatives and friends will be concerned about you, but it would help us if only one person telephones the hospital, then passes the news onto others. Please remind relatives that information about you can only be released with your consent.
• We cannot always immediately confirm which ward you will be allocated at the time of admission (if at RAEI) and if you require overnight stay. 
• Please also note – there will be several theatre lists, all with a number of patients waiting. 
• If you are a patient at Leigh Infirmary and you require overnight stay, you will be transferred to RAEI by ambulance.

Medication

You should bring all the medicines you are taking into hospital with you. This includes inhalers, eye drops, creams, GTN spray etc. There will be a lockable cupboard for your medication within the in-patient areas. Your nurse will hold the key for this.  Please bring them in the original packaging.

Your Pre-Op Nurse has advised that you stop ...............................  for .............  days before surgery.

Your Pre-Op Nurse has advised that you omit ......................................................  on the day of surgery.

Your nurse will instruct you on which of your medications you can continue to take whilst in hospital.

Please ensure you have adequate ‘over the counter’ painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen at home, as these would not be routinely dispensed on discharge. Make sure you have enough of your prescription medicines to last you for a time after your surgery.

Male and female accommodation on the wards

Most wards admit both male and female patients. Our aim is to care for you in a bay with patients of the same sex with separate male and female toilet and bathing facilities. 

On some wards, we are unable to offer single sex accommodation. Completely mixed sex wards are intensive care unit (ICU), high dependency unit (HDU) and coronary care unit (CCU). If you are admitted to a mixed sex area and you have concerns about this, please talk to the person in charge of the ward.

Moving to another ward

During your time in hospital, you may stay in different wards. The ward staff will tell you and your family or carers if we plan to transfer you to another ward.

Royal Albert Edward Infirmary Wigan Car Parking

Car parking is available on a Pay and Display basis. It applies to all car parks and includes disabled areas. The cost is:

• Up to 30 minutes drop off - Free
• Up to two hours - £3.20   
• Between two and four hours- £5.70   
• Over four hours -£7.50   

Please bring some change for the pay and display machines as they don't accept notes.

Car Parking Concession Criteria

• Any oncology patient who attends the Trust for frequent regular treatment will receive free parking for the length of their treatment. This criterion was agreed by Macmillan Cancer Support.
• Any patients attending clinics at the Trust for a minimum of one day a week for an extensive period will receive free parking.
• Visitors of patients hospitalised for more than two weeks (14 days), will be offered free parking for the remainder of the patient's stay from day 15 onwards.

The Trust has implemented new patient and visitor parking arrangements at RAEI.

The main improvements are:

• The main car park (car park D) now has twice as many newly marked disabled spaces.

Freckleton Street car park, which is 200 metres from the hospital main entrance, is now available for patients and visitors use and is pay on foot (pay on exit). The visitor scans the ticket prior to leaving the carpark and pays for the time they have been there.

• New Disabled parking spaces have been created nearby for Diabetic patients

Leigh Car Parking

Car parking is available on a Pay and Display basis. It applies to all car parks and includes disabled areas. The cost is:

• Up to 30 minutes drop off - Free
• Up to two hours- £3.20 
• Between two and four hours- £5.70   
• Over four hours- £7.50   

Please bring some change for the pay and display machines as they don't accept notes.

Car Parking Concession Criteria

• Any oncology patient who attends the Trust for frequent regular treatment will receive free parking for the length of their treatment. This criterion was agreed by Macmillan Cancer Support.
• Any patients attending clinics at the Trust for a minimum of one day a week for an extensive period will receive free parking.
• Visitors of patients hospitalised for more than two weeks (14 days), will be offered free parking for the remainder of the patient's stay from day 15 onwards.

Visiting times

Visiting times vary from ward to ward, so please check times with the ward sister/staff/clerk on your admission.

Wards permit two visitors only at any one time at the bedside. Lots of visitors cause overcrowding by the beds, which can make you and other patients feel tired. It also does not comply with the hospital’s infection control policy.

Visitors are asked to observe the infection control rules, which are to use hand gel when entering and leaving the ward, not to sit on beds and only two visitors at a time.

The hospital also operates a protected mealtime policy. Visitors will not be allowed onto the wards between 12 noon and 1pm and 5pm and 6pm, unless they are attending to assist a patient with feeding needs.

Visitors are advised not to visit if they have a heavy cold, diarrhoea or vomiting.

We also ask visitors not to bring flowers onto the wards in compliance with our infection control policy.

Day of discharge

The ward staff members aim to ensure that your discharge is planned well in advance.  Please ensure that you have day wear available prior to your day of discharge. 

When the decision has been made by the doctor to discharge you from hospital and when your medication and discharge documentation is available, you can then telephone your relative or friend to collect you.

If you need hospital transport to take you home, please inform the ward staff on the day of your admission.

You will be given detailed discharge information prior to leaving the ward.

For the first 24 to 48 hrs following general anaesthetic:

• Do not drive a car or ride a bicycle. 
• Do not operate machinery, including domestic machinery such as sewing machines
• Avoid ironing and cooking
• Do not take sleeping tablets
• Do not drink alcohol
• Make sure you have access to a telephone in case of emergency.

If you have had a local anaesthetic, it is advised that you go home and rest.

Recovery time

How long you require off work depends on the type of surgery you have had. Sick notes can be provided by the ward.

Driving after Surgery

You will be given advice from your surgical team on discharge as to when you can resume driving.  Please contact your insurance company before resuming driving.

Contact Telephone Numbers

If you are being admitted for your surgery at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, your admitting ward will be the Surgical Admissions Lounge.

If you are being admitted to Leigh Infirmary for your surgery, your admitting ward will be Ward 3.

Surgical Admissions Lounge (RAEI Wigan) Telephone: 01942 822934

Ward 3 (Leigh Infirmary) Telephone: 01942 264260 

Pre-Op contact details Telephone: 01942 264234 or 01942 264235