Preparing for your hospital stay

Coming into hospital can be an anxious time for anyone but there are a few ways you can prepare ahead to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

If you can, it is good to bring a relative or friend with you when you first come into hospital. An adult must always accompany patients under 16 years of age. 

If you need help getting to hospital for medical reasons, you will need to . The service differs dependent on your eligibility and where you live.

Please let us know in advance about any special needs you have, such as diet, disability or religious requirements, so that we can ensure all relevant support services are available to you. More information can be found on the help with your visit page.

Sometimes patients find they cannot attend their appointment at short notice. If this is the case, please get in touch to let us know and we can cancel any support services set up for you such as patient transport.

When you arrive at the hospital, you will need to go to the location outlined in the letter sent to you for your appointment and the staff will check you in and deal with all your paperwork.

Once you are in hospital, your visitors will be welcome during the appropriate visiting times. Advice on the use of mobile phones will be given by our staff, depending where you are in the hospital.  You will also be given a menu card to choose your meals from. 

When coming into hospital we need you to bring in any medication and tablets you are or have been taking so that the staff can see them. If you have a special card, eg steroid, anticoagulant or diabetic, you will need to bring that too.

We would also ask that you bring in any walking aid if you normally use one at home. 

We advise patients to bring their own personal toiletries, towel, dressing gown, nightclothes and slippers, and you may also want to bring some coins to use in the phones and vending machines. The hospital provides some storage by your bed but we advise you not to bring in valuables if you can avoid it.

During your stay you will quickly get used to the routine of the hospital. Before each mealtime you may hear a bell sound. This is to remind staff to help patients get prepared to receive their meal.

If you are an inpatient at 半岛体育 Park you may notice that each Thursday morning the fire alarms are tested. This usually takes place between 8am and 9am and is nothing to worry about.

When staff have completed all of the details to enable you to go home, there are a number of things you should bear in mind to make sure your discharge is not delayed.

  • Please arrange transport to get home 
  • You may be asked to wait in the patients' lounge rather than on the ward
  • Staff will give you a hospital discharge letter
  • If applicable, staff will give you your supply of medication
  • You will be advised if you need to make any follow-up appointments

半岛体育 Health hospitals have their own hospital radio station that is available free to all inpatients and visitors.

Run by dedicated teams of volunteers they are independent of the trust but work closely with the 半岛体育 Health teams to inform, educate and entertain patients.

Radio 半岛体育 Park broadcasts round the clock to patients and visitors at the hospital and beyond via the internet.

The station broadcasts music, quizzes, requests, interview and news. 

To find out more, listen live, make a request / dedication for a patient or to find out how you can become a volunteer at the station, visit the .