For Patients

Information for Outpatients

What Is An Outpatient Service?

An Outpatient Service offers specialist consultation, advice, diagnosis, diagnostic investigations and treatment or referral/admission to hospital if necessary. This consultation may be in hospital or other health care settings, eg a doctors surgery, or health centre.

Receiving Your Appointment

When you have been referred to see a specialist you will receive a letter from the hospital acknowledging your referral. We will then contact you to arrange an appointment date and time. If you do not receive an acknowledgement letter or an appointment from the hospital within 6 weeks of the date your GP referred you, please contact your GP practice.

Appointments

On receipt of your appointment, if you have any problems with this please contact the relevant department as follows:

If your appointment is with Breast Care Unit, Day Hospital for the Elderly, Diabetes Centre, Macmillan Suite, Nutrition & Dietetics, Oral & Maxillofacial, Orthodontics, Orthopaedics, Physiotherapy, Rheumatology or Speech & Language please telephone the appropriate department. refer to the contact list on the front cover.

For all other outpatient appointments please contact the Contact Centre on 01472 875353 (Grimsby) or (01724) 387710 (Scunthorpe) who are available from 8.30am to 7.00pm Monday to Friday. Outside these times you can leave a message. Please leave your daytime telephone number.

Patients who Fail to Keep Appointments

Patients who fail to keep their Outpatient appointment without providing advance warning are defined as DNA (Did Not Attend). Every year thousands of people do not attend their outpatient appointments, and hundreds of patients fail to attend for their operation. In addition, thousands of people do not turn up for their GP appointment. This means you have to wait longer.

If you have recently:

• Moved House
• Changed Telephone Number
• Changed your GP
• Or if you are unavailable for any length of time, have become pregnant, are receiving other treatment or are working away - Let the hospital know by filling in one of our cards and handing it to the nurse or receptionist.
• Or by speaking to the receptionist or the nurse. Please ensure we know how to contact you.

Patients who fail to attend their appointment will be managed as follows:

• A check will be made with the GP to ensure that the hospital have the correct address details.
• If the details are incorrect a further appointment will be arranged with the patient.
• If the details held by the hospital are correct, and there is no reason why the patient has not attended, this could result in a return of the referral back to your GP.

Ambulance Transport

If you require patient transport please mention this when you arrange your appointment. If for any reason you wish to cancel transport please telephone the contact centre on 01472 875354 (Grimsby) or (01724) 387710 (Scunthorpe).

When You Arrive At The Hospital

Unless otherwise stated on your appointment letter, go to the main entrance to the hospital. On arrival report to the reception area indicated on your letter. The receptionist or nurse will check your name and address. You may be asked to go to another area for any tests the doctor has arranged before you see him/her. You will be asked to take a seat in the waiting area. When it is your turn you will be called into a consulting room by a Health Care Professional. If you require access to a wheelchair, or require any assistance attending the clinic please ask at Main Reception when you arrive.

Medical Students

Nursing and Medical Students may be present when you see the doctor. This is a vital part of their training. Each clinic will display a notice informing you if students are present at the clinic. You may choose not to have students present when you see the doctor, if so please tell a member of the department. This will not affect the care you receive.

After You Have Seen The Doctor

You may need to go for further tests or investigations or to make an appointment with another department. The department staff will explain what you need to do, or help you, if you wish. If you have any special needs/requirements, please tell us, we will be happy to help. Although you have been referred to a particular specialist you may not always see that person. You will however be seen by a member of that specialist’s team of doctors, and a Health Care Professional will be available should you need one.

Interpreters - Foreign Language Speakers

Interpreter Services are available at the hospital, prior arrangements should be made. You should contact either your GP, or the Hospital Chaplaincy to make the arrangements.

Hearing Difficulties

Sign language interpreters are available for patients attending appointments in the hospital. Please contact the PALS service prior to your appointment so this can be arranged for you.

Hearing Dogs

Please contact the department you are visiting to make arrangements for a hearing dog to attend.

Guide Dogs

Although Guide Dogs are welcome at the hospital, there may be occasions due to the nature of the clinic, for example the skin clinic where patients may have open wounds, the Ear Nose and Throat clinic where patients may suffer from various allergies, when we would like to know that a Guide Dog would be coming to the area. Please contact the department you are visiting, so that arrangements can be made either for yourself or other patients before your clinic appointment.

Pharmacy

The pharmacy is open from 8.45 am to 5.15 pm, Monday to Friday. Prescription charges apply if you normally pay for your medicines. If you are exempt from prescription charges please bring either your pre-payment book, exemption certificate, pension book, etc. It is important that you understand clearly how to take the medicines you have been given. The staff in Pharmacy will explain your medicines to you, if you do not understand, please ask.

Refreshments

All our hospitals have a restaurant which serves a selection of hot and cold meals, and are open daily 7.30 am - 8.00 pm. The Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital also has a smaller public cafeteria situated in the main entrance and another in the department of family services.

WRVS

Our Grimsby and Scunthorpe sites have a WRVS Shop which opens 9 am - 8 pm Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday 1.30 pm - 4 pm. Vending machines are also available in the main entrance.

No Smoking

Since March 29th 2006 all hospitals and other premises operated by Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Trust became completely smoke free. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the hospital grounds by patients, visitors or staff. If you have concerns about this policy and wish to explore whether you can access nicotine replacement therapy while you are in hospital, please contact your GP before your admission date.

Mobile Phones

You are requested to ensure that mobile phones are switched off in the hospital except in designated zones as they can dangerously interfere with the function of hospital equipment.

Hospital Security

Security and the protection of people and property are uppermost in the minds of hospital staff. We are actively pursuing a safe environment for all who need to visit the hospital as an outpatient or an inpatient. Our aim is to make security as unobtrusive as possible, yet provide adequate and appropriate safeguards to ensure the well being of everyone, patients, visitors, staff and the public. One way of achieving this is that at times it may be necessary to question the presence or actions of some people. This may mean that visitors are approached and asked the reason for being on hospital premises. Any person who is approached, whether patient, friend or relative is respectfully requested to co-operate with staff for the sake of everyone concerned.

Staff ID

To help you to identify hospital staff, all staff wear badges giving name, title, occupation and a photograph.

Voluntary Services

The Voluntary Services provide many extra services to support the work of the Hospital. Volunteers may be helping in the outpatient services.

Chapel

An ecumenical chaplain is present in the hospital every day and religious representatives of all denominations visit the hospital regularly. Click here for further information about Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care.

What information is kept about you?

We keep details of your name, address, date of birth and General Practitioner. We also hold information about your medical conditions, and treatments that you have received at the hospital. On the whole, only those members of staff directly involved in providing your care are able to see the information. There are some other members of staff who may see the information for the reasons given above i.e. reviewing care.

Where is the information kept?

This information may be held as paper records in your hospital notes or on a computer system. Any X-rays and reports of other investigations are also kept on file.

Why do we need this information?

We ask for this information so that you can receive the care you need. This information is kept on file, together with details of your treatment, in case you need to be seen again.

Are there any other reasons to keep the information?

• The information is used to plan care for the public in general and for managing the NHS
• We use the information to monitor the standard of care and to help staff review their work
• We have a legal duty to do so

Who can see this information?

There are strict regulations, for instance the Data Protection Act (1998), about access to personal information. You are entitled to ask to see your medical records, although this may not be possible on the day of the request. Your family and friends are not entitled to see your records, unless you formally agree to it. Your GP will be informed of your progress unless you specifically request otherwise.

Copying Letters to Patients

The Trust is working towards all patients receiving copies of healthcare correspondence, where appropriate. You may be asked if you would like to be included in this.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) within the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital is concerned to ensure that the service is responsive to individual needs and personal preferences. We welcome and value your comments and suggestions on the service that you receive. It does help to know when we are getting it right; we appreciate constructive criticism and your concerns. If you have a problem or wish to make a suggestion please speak to the manager of the department you are attending. Alternatively you may wish to speak to a member of the PALS Team.