Coming into Hospital for Surgery

This is a guide to help you prepare for your visit to the hospital for day surgery.

Before the day

• Please inform your GP (family doctor) receptionist of the date of your procedure/operation and ask them to print out a list of your medicines
• Think about how you will manage when you come home from hospital; you may want to make arrangements to help you in the first few days
• Make sure you have a supply of your normal medicines at home, including pain relief to take for discomfort after your operation
• To protect your privacy choose one person to telephone the hospital and pass information to friends and family
• Follow any preparation instructions you have been given
• Check any car insurance cover is not affected by your operation; you may have restrictions on what you can do after surgery
• Make arrangements for care of dependant relatives and pets
• If you live alone, cancel any regular deliveries and think about home security
• Please remove acrylic nails and nail varnish
• Make arrangements for transport to the hospital, ideally only one person should accompany you
• Arrange for someone responsible to collect you and stay with you overnight and all the next day. If you are caring for children or dependant adults, this person must be able to care for them or you may wish to make other arrangements. You will not be able to go home on public transport

On the day

You should continue taking your normal medicine unless you have been advised not to.

• Stop eating and drinking as explained on your fasting information sheet
• Take a bath or shower on the morning of your operation or the night before
• Do not wear make-up, body oil, nail varnish, body piercing or jewellery (except wedding rings)
• Bring the printed list of medicines and any tablets or medicines you are taking
• Bring toiletries with you if you wish to freshen up afterwards
• If you have special dietary needs, then bring an appropriate simple snack, which does not need refrigeration or preparation, in with you for afterwards
• You may have to wait, bring a book, paper or something to do whilst you wait
• Wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes. You do not need to bring any night clothes, a hospital gown will be provided
• Bring your dressing gown and slippers
• You may wear your hearing aid and glasses (not contact lenses)
• Do not bring excess money or valuables with you; the hospital cannot be held responsible if anything is lost or damaged
• We will provide you with a telephone number for your friend/relative to contact in order to know when you are ready to go home

Directions

Dorset County Hospital Day Surgery Unit (DSU): North 2 entrance, or Main Entrance (North 1) and keep right after passing the Costa Coffee shop

Weymouth Community Hospital Day Surgery Unit (WDSU): Car park entrance and the Day Surgery Unit is directly opposite. There are no inside waiting areas before the hospital opens at 8am, and patients are recommended not to arrive before this time, or to remain in
their cars until the hospital opens.

Surgical Admissions Lounge (SAL): South 1 entrance and follow the corridor round to the left until you reach Rehabilitation. The entrance to the Surgical Admissions Lounge is on the left half way down the corridor to physiotherapy.

Smoking

Hospital buildings and grounds are smoke-free.

Arrival

On arrival, please report to the reception desk, where our team will be waiting to welcome you. Your arrival time is not the time of your operation/procedure; it allows time for preparation and safety checks before the start of the operating list. Where possible, we try to stagger the arrival of patients to reduce the time you have to wait. The time will vary but we suggest that you allow a period of six to seven hours from admission to discharge. If someone is accompanying you when you arrive at the unit, it is not necessary for them to wait whilst you have your procedure.

What to expect when you go home

Although you may only have been in hospital for a short time, you could feel slightly unwell for a day or two; you should take additional care and rest. You will be advised to go home to bed and sleep off the effects of your anaesthetic. For 24 hours after your anaesthetic/operation you will be advised not to:

• Drive
• Drink alcohol or use recreational drugs
• Operate machinery
• Make any significant decisions or sign legal documents.
• Lift or carry heavy items, including children.

It is illegal to drive whilst you are under the influence of drugs and this includes anaesthetics and some painkillers. Your car insurance cover may be affected if you drive when we have advised you not to. If you are planning a holiday, please check your travel insurance cover is not affected.

Sickness certificate

We can provide you with a certificate. Please let the nurse know that you need one when you are admitted.

Cancellation/queries

If for any reason you are unable to attend for your operation, please contact your admissions department immediately so that we can offer your appointment to another patient.

If you are suffering from a cough, cold, stomach upset or diarrhoea, it may be necessary to postpone your operation. Please telephone the nurses on the unit you are being admitted to and ask for advice.

Occasionally, patients become very anxious or embarrassed about their operation and some even feel unable to attend. If you are feeling like this, there are many ways in which we can help. Please telephone our nurses for advice and reassurance.

If you would like to discuss something further please telephone our nurses.

For any medication queries, please telephone the Pre-operative Assessment Unit.

Car park permits

Payment is required for the first two hours parking and then a permit can be issued to cover the remainder of your stay. Permits are available at either the Surgical Admissions Lounge (SAL) or the Day Surgery Unit (DSU). Payment at Weymouth is for the duration of your stay.

Contact numbers

We hope that you have found this information useful. If you have any questions, or are worried about anything, please speak to your family doctor (GP) or the following Dorset County Hospital staff:

Pre-operative Assessment nurses: 01305 254775
Day Surgery Unit Dorchester: 01305 254500 (7.30am – 8pm Monday – Friday)
Day Surgery Unit Weymouth: 01305 762666 (8am – 7pm Monday – Friday)
Surgical Admissions Lounge: 01305 255836
Surgical admissions officer: 01305 255909
NHS direct: 111

Useful websites

Dorset County Hospital: www.dchft.nhs.uk

NHS Choices: www.nhs.uk

About this leaflet

Author: Jason Chambers, Deputy Charge Nurse, Theatres
Editors: Operating Department Practitioner students: Abilash P. Achenkunju, Sandra Barrington, Jon Cooper, Louise Denning, Alex Pearce, Daniel Tshabalala, Sue Worthy
Written: March 2019
Approved: May 2019
Review date: May 2022
Edition: v1.1

This Patient Information Leaflet is based on the RBCH leaflet with their kind permission.

If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, please email patientinformation.leaflets@dchft.nhs.uk