When You Arrive
• There are signposts to all wards. Yellow signposts indicate clinical areas.
• There are volunteer Hospital Guides at the main reception desk on level 6 who can take you to your ward.
• Maps and advice are available at the main reception desk on level 6.
• At the Royal Eye Infirmary please report to the ward office on the 1st floor.
On the ward
• A receptionist or nurse will meet you when you arrive at the ward.
• We have some wards which are for women only. Most wards have beds for men and women but they are divided into smaller areas called bays, which are for men only or women only.
• In exceptional circumstances we might need to put you in a bay with people of the opposite sex, for example if you need special medical observation and care. If this happens we will move you to another bay as soon as possible.
Your treatment
• If you are having an operation, the law says we must get you to sign a form to say you agree to it. This also applies to some other procedures.
• We will tell you the risks and benefits of the treatment, and we will tell you if there.
• Is any other form of treatment you can have.
• We will then ask you to sign the consent form.
• Please ask if you are not sure about anything to do with your treatment.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
To provide the best possible care for you while you are in hospital, we need to consider every possibility and make sure we know what your wishes are in the event of an emergency. Please don’t be surprised or alarmed, therefore, if a doctor talks to you about cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR as it is commonly called. We discuss this because most patients like to have a say in decisions about their treatment and your views are very important to us.
Below is a link to information, written for patients, to explain what cardiopulmonary resuscitation is and when it is used.
Patient Information Leaflet - CPR
Medical students
• Derriford is a teaching hospital, which means we train healthcare professionals.
• We allow students to get involved in the treatment and care of patients so that they get practical experience.
• Please tell your doctor or nurse if you don’t want students to be involved in your care. Your care won’t be affected in any way by your decision.
Visiting times
• Visiting is usually during the afternoon and early evening. Please ask staff on your ward about visiting times.
Patientline - telephone/radio/TV
• Many of the wards have a Patientline unit at each bed. This can be used to watch TV, listen to the radio, make and receive telephone calls and more.
• You can use a credit or debit card to pre-buy services, as well as buy Patientline cards from cash vending machines.
• Simply press the operator button on the telephone handset to tell Patientline that you have arrived. A member of Patientline staff can be available to help you make use of the system.
• The ward staff can tell you if the Patientline system will be available during your stay.
• Typical costs: 1 days TV for £3.50, 10p a minute for a bedside call. Free TV children 16 years and under. For more information call 0800 959 3100 or visit www.patientlinesystems.com/uk/en/home.aspx
Use of mobile phones in hospital
• Please note that mobile phones must not be used in many areas of the hospital as they can interfere with medical equipment. Areas where mobile phones can be used will be clearly signed. Public telephones are available in the main concourse level 6 and in many other departments throughout the hospital.
Hospital Radio
• Hospital Radio Plymouth provides entertainment to patients of Derriford Hospital, the Royal Eye Infirmary and the wider community, through our radio station and Showstage facilities.
• We are one of only five Hospital Radio stations across the UK that have an FM licence - meaning we broadcast music, interviews and news 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 87.7FM and Channel 1.
• Hospital Radio Plymouth volunteers visit the wards and you can request music or feed back on programmes.
• Patients can listen to Hospital Radio through personal headphones which are available on each ward. Please ask a member of staff.
Library and Book Trolley
• There is a patients’ library on level 5 which is open Mondays and Thursdays from 11am to 3pm.
• Volunteer helpers also take book trolleys to most wards as follows:
- Levels 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on Mondays and Thursdays.
- Level 8, 9, 10 and 11 on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Hairdressing
• A professional hairdresser is available, by arrangement, on the wards Monday to Thursday between 10.00 am and 6.00 pm.
• To make an appointment during work time please ask the staff to page 89640. Outside office hours phone 01752 206959.
Smoking
From Saturday 1 November 2008 Derriford Hospital will become a smoke-free site. Smoking shelters will be removed from across the Derriford site and no smoking will be permitted outside any of the entrances to the hospital, including the main entrance, maternity entrance or the entrances at the rear of the hospital to the Terence Lewis Building.
A smoking shelter is available in Car Park B, in order to give smokers a designated place to go.
All other Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust sites are smoke free zones. The NHS Smoking Advice Service is able to help patients and their relatives to give up smoking.
The NHS Smoking Advice Service is able to help patients and their relatives to give up smoking. Nicotine Replacement Therapy is free to patients wanting to stop or for withdrawal relief while in hospital.