Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

General Information

Refreshments

The Dolphin Restaurant is on the lower ground floor and has a designated visitors’ area. Meals and beverages are available throughout the day from 7.00am to 8.45pm. There is also a W.R.V.S. coffee shop in the main Outpatient Department and the Purbeck Rise Café near Entrance 6. The Hospital shop in the Reception area (Entrance 10) sells a variety of snacks, drinks and confectionery as well as stationery and toiletry items.

No Smoking

There is a strict NO SMOKING policy throughout the Hospital.

Poole Hospital became the first in the area to officially become smoke-free on April 1 2006. Read more by clicking here

For information on stopping smoking, phone the NHS Smoking Helpline free on 0800 1690169 or visit www.givingupsmoking.co.uk. Dorset Smokestop can also help you.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phone transmissions can affect medical electronic equipment.

In the interest of patient safety and privacy, patients, staff and visitors are requested to use Mobile phones only in non-clinical areas such as corridors, day rooms, reception and waiting areas. Thank you for your co-operation.

Mobile phones are Prohibited in all Clinical Areas and must be switched off in order to eliminate interference with medical devices.

Clinical Areas are defined  as: Wards, Departments or any area where a "Medical Device" is in use on a patient.

Remember mobile phones communicate regularly with base stations when switched on whether in use or not. For the full Trust Policy on please read the Mobile Phone Policy.

Public telephones

There are three pay telephones in the Reception area of Entrance 10. Other pay telephones are situated in D Block, Diabetes Centre, Entrance 6 of the Philip Arnold Unit, Emergency Department, Maternity Unit and on most wards. Mobile Phones must be switched off while you are in the Hospital.

Health Information

If you would like to know more about your condition or treatment, visit our Health Information & Resource Centre in the single storey building on Longfleet Road, next to the multi-storey car park. 01202 448003.

Your medical record

We aim to provide you with the highest quality of health care. To do this we must keep records about you, your health and the care we have provided or plan to provide to you. These records may be used by our teams to check the quality of the care we provide using clinical audit.

Read more here

 

What other services are available to me?

Spiritual and Pastoral care

We have our own beautiful chapel on the first floor that you and your family are welcome to visit at any time. We also have a team of Chaplains and lay pastoral assistants, headed by our Hospital Chaplain, who visit the wards regularly or at your request.

Anglican or Free Church Sunday services and Thursday evening Roman Catholic services are televised and transmitted live to your bedside television on the free channel 6.

The Chaplaincy is responsible for the pastoral, spiritual and religious care of patients, relatives and staff of any faith tradition or none.

It organises regular religious services, visits patients on request on the wards, provides a listening service, teaches and offers support in the fields of loss & bereavement and spirituality; it is involved with many different aspects of the life of the Trust e.g. SPRING, the Clinical Ethics Group and the Bereavement Team.

There is a Chapel on the First Floor of the main hospital which is open at all times for private prayer or quiet time.

Services are held regularly in the Chapel:

The Mass and the Sunday service are both televised throughout the hospital on Channel 20. This is a free service, although patients do have to register with Patientline to access it. 

The Quiet Room opposite the Chapel is available for those who wish to pray in a non-Christian space. It is open during office hours but a key can be obtained from the Porters' Lodge on the Lower Ground Floor corridor out of hours.

The Chaplains are happy to accept referrals from patients, relatives, friends, staff or outside agencies.

The service aims to be open, friendly, and confidential.

SPRING (Supporting Parents and Relatives in Neonatal Grief)

SPRING which is based at Poole Hospital, provides support and counselling to parents and relatives who have experienced the death of a baby during pregnancy, at, or just after birth. This includes miscarriage, stillbirth and termination for foetal abnormality.

Library service

A trolley library service visits the ward regularly.

Shops

We are grateful to the WRVS for providing an excellent trolley service to the wards. We also have a Hospital shop in Reception (Entrance 10) selling an extensive range of confectionery, stationery, toiletries, toys, papers and magazines.

Hairdresser

Having your hair done not only makes you look nicer but can really make you feel better. Our hairdresser, Rollers, is also on the ground floor in the Reception area (Entrance 10) but provides a very good trolley service to the wards. Ask a member of staff or one of your visitors to let them know if you would like a visit.

Sending mail

Stamps are sold from the trolley shop and the Hospital shop. A member of staff will put your mail in the ward out-tray by 3pm for same day post or there is a post box in Reception (Entrance 10) where collection is at 5.45 pm.

If you have paid for a bedside TV and telephone service make sure you have no credit to collect or money due that you have not settled.

If required, any follow-up clinic appointment can usually be made before you leave.

What happens if there is a fire?

We are required by law to test fire alarms weekly and do so between 8.15 and 9am on different days in different parts of the Hospital. Occasionally there is a full fire drill which may happen during your stay.

There is a strict NO SMOKING policy throughout the Hospital. In addition visitors who use toasters in ward kitchens must never leave them unattended.

If you suspect a fire you must raise the alarm by telling a member of staff or breaking the glass on a wall-mounted red fire alarm box.

In the event of a fire all staff are fully trained and will give clear instructions and move patients to safety.

What is the food like?

Our patients, staff and visitors are very complimentary. Our Catering Department has an excellent reputation and serves meals to cater for all tastes, diets and needs.

Patients are encouraged to order their own meals using menu cards provided. A member of your care team will explain the system when you arrive. Further information is also on the information channel of your bedside TV.

Can my family eat here?

Yes indeed. Our Dolphin Restaurant has an excellent reputation for quality and value for money.

When I go home, what should I do?

Often the consultant in charge of your care will assess you when he or she sees you on their regular ward round and will let you know then when you can go home.

If medicine is needed you will be given a minimum of a two week supply (sometimes less for antibiotics) for which there are no prescription charges. If you need further medication please see your GP.

You may be given a letter to take to your GP and your Consultant will also write to your GP with information about your Hospital stay.

You may need a sick certificate for your time in Hospital. Check with a member of staff.

Arrange for clothes to be brought in that are comfortable to travel in.

Please make sure that any Hospital property such as towels, library books, etc. are not accidentally taken home

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

PALS has been introduced to every Trust within the NHS. This service ensures that as a patient, relative or carer you will have access to information, help, advice and support. PALS can be contacted at the Health Information and Resource Centre, Longfleet Road, Poole BH15 2JB. Telephone 01202 448499 , Fax: 01202 448363 or email: pals@poole.nhs.uk

Citizen’s Advice Bureau (C.A.B.)

The Citizen’s Advice Bureau is available to help on one afternoon a week in the Health Information and Resource Centre. Please telephone 01202 448003 to discuss an appointment.

Medical Information

We record your medical details to help with your medical care now and in the future. Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. In order to manage and plan within the NHS we may send some of the information about you to other Health Authorities and authorised organisations involved in your care.

We also send statutory information to the Department of Health. This information is also held centrally. Further uses of this centrally held information are strictly controlled by the NHS Information Authority, which takes advice from the Security and Confidentiality Advisory Group, an independent board that reports to the government Chief Medical Officer. This Hospital monitors the quality of clinical care and undertakes research and training. You may be asked permission to be involved in some of this work. If you agree, a full explanation will be given and your consent obtained.

The Data Protection Act 1998

The Data Protection Act 1998 gives you the right to see any information that we hold about you. If you want to apply to see your details, or if you would like more information about your rights under the Act, please write to: The Chief Executive, Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Longfleet Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 2JB.

Personal Property

The hospital cannot accept responsibility for the personal property of patients.