During your stay

Visitors should use the pay and display areas provided at each hospital site. Please bring loose change for the ticket machine. If you are a blue badge holder, you may park for free in the disabled or pay-and-display areas if your badge is clearly displayed. Concessionary car parking permits are available if you are an inpatient for more than seven days or you regularly attend the hospital. Your nearest relative or friend can apply for this concession after visiting the hospital for more than seven days. Patients whose treatment requires them to make repeated attendance at a clinic or ward also qualify for a concession. Please ask staff for details.

If you are attending an NHS hospital for treatment you may be entitled to the cost of bus fare or possibly mileage allowance (this does not usually include taxi fares, unless it is deemed totally inappropriate to use public transport) to or from the hospital if:

• You or your partner receive income support, income-based job seekers’ allowance, family credit or disability working allowance
• Your income is low enough (claim on form HC1)
• You are attending a sexually-transmitted disease clinic more than 15 miles from your home
• You get a war or MOD disablement pension and are being treated for your war injury.

Payment can be made at any hospital. Please ask at main reception points. We may also pay for an escort to travel with you if it is considered medically necessary. The doctor or nurse looking after you will make this decision.

If you are visiting a patient who is a partner or close relative, you may be able to get help with your travel costs if you are receiving income support or income-based job seekers’ allowance. You can obtain the claim form from your local social services office.

When you arrive at the hospital please go straight to the ward specified on your admission letter. To enable the ward staff to admit you without delay, it is important that you bring the following documents:

• Admission letter
• New NHS number (obtainable from your family doctor)
• Postcode of your home address
• Pension book number and amount payable (if applicable)
• War pension details (if applicable)
• The name and surgery address of your family doctor
• Your Bradford hospital number if you have one.

You may wish to use this check-list as a guide:

• Night clothes, dressing gown, slippers
• Underwear
• Toiletries, hairbrush, comb, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste or denture cleaner, soap, face flannel, towels (hand/bath)
• Paper handkerchiefs
• Shaving equipment
• Spectacles
• Walking stick
• Hearing aid
• Any type of special shoe
• Medicine
• Sanitary towels/tampons
• Small change
• Prescribed medication.

Please ensure that all nightwear is fire retardant. If you wish you can also bring reading material. Magazines and newspapers are available at the hospital shop.

During your stay in hospital, monitoring equipment may be attached to your finger so it is important that all nail varnish has been removed and your nails are clearly visible. Patients with a full set of false nails should remove them before coming to hospital, while those with acrylic nails should remove one acrylic nail from each hand, ideally the index or middle finger.

You will be asked which ethnic group you belong to. This information is collected to enable the Trust to ensure that the service provided meets the needs of our patients.

There are occasions when patients may be required to prove residency in the UK and entitlement to NHS treatment. Please help our staff if they require this information.

You and your family have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about your treatment and care. You can expect to be treated with dignity and respect. You will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation. You have a responsibility to treat other patients and our staff with dignity and respect.

Every patient has the right to receive high quality care that is safe, effective and respects their privacy and dignity. Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is committed to providing every patient with same sex accommodation. Sharing with members of the opposite sex will only happen by exception, based on clinical need (for example where patients need specialist equipment or care such as in our intensive care unit, coronary care unit or high dependency unit). If this is necessary we will make every effort to move you to a same sex area as soon as possible.

We understand that coming into hospital can mean you have a lot to organise, and that it can be a worrying time for you, your family and friends.

We have put together a Bedside Folder to give you some important information to help you, your family and other visitors. We hope it will answer many of the questions you may have, particularly if you are coming into hospital as an inpatient.

Copies of the Bedside Folder can be found at every bed in the Trust, but some of the information found in it will also be useful to patients, families and visitors before they come into hospital or visit a family member or friend.

Click here for the Bedside Folder.