Before you leave home

You can use these pages to help you make plans before your arrival to hospital. Have a look at what we recommend you bring, how to go about organising any special requirements and what will happen at your pre-assessment appointment.

We will use the contact information you give us to notify you about appointment and discuss any test results or treatments.

Your mobile or home phone number may be used for automated appointment reminders and surveys. You can opt out of any of these at any time by contacting [email protected] or information governance on 01522 512512.

Admission

Pre-assessment clinic

Before coming to hospital you may be asked to attend a pre-assessment clinic. You will receive a letter informing you of where your assessment will take place one to three weeks before you come into hospital. A pre-assessment nurse or doctor will assess that you are medically fit for your procedure. As part of the assessment, the nurse will carry out necessary investigations such as a swab for MRSA, blood tests and a tracing of your heart or x-rays depending on your general health.

Other members of the team will ensure you are fully prepared for your admission and discharge. You will also have the opportunity of discussing your operation/procedure with the pre-assessment nurse or doctor. Please bring any current medication including herbal remedies and inhalers with you to this appointment, as the nurse will inform you of any medications that need to be stopped before your admission.

We are obliged to offer all our patients the earliest possible date for their procedure and ensure that all available resources are utilised efficiently. Therefore an admission date may be offered to you at any of the hospitals within the Trust. Some patients may not receive their appointment letters in time due to holidays or delivery delays. Should this happen, the Trust will contact you directly to arrange another appointment.

If you cancel your pre-assessment appointment or admission date in advance, we will arrange a new one with you. If you cancel or decline three offers we will refer you back to your GP as you must be ‘ready, willing and fit’ to be on the waiting list. If you do not attend your appointment or admission without informing us, we will refer you back to your GP. If either you, or the hospital, cancel your procedure on the day of admission, we will try to make a new appointment within the next 28 days.

Visit our appointments page to cancel or rearrange

Special requirements

If you have specific needs and are anxious about the facilities available during your stay, please inform the nurse at the pre-assessment clinic. The nurse, at your request, will make a note of these needs. The note will use the wording of your choice and will help us to make arrangements for your admission to hospital.

These needs can include:

  • A disability
  • Sight or hearing impairment
  • Dietary
  • speech impairment
  • Cultural requirements

For people with hearing or speech difficulties, minicom text telephones are available at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital, Boston. These telephones can also be used to ring out. Please ask for further details.

Pilgrim Hospital, Boston: 01205 365685
Lincoln County Hospital: 01522 573618

Wheelchairs

Wheelchairs if required, are available at a cost of £1 which is returnable. You are welcome to bring your own wheelchair, or any equipment that you require. Please ensure you label your own equipment.

Interpretation services

Language Line telephone interpreters are available. In some circumstances it will be necessary to use face to face interpreters. As this may take a number of days to arrange, it may not be possible to do so in an emergency. It is our responsibility to provide an interpreter for you, so you should not feel under pressure for a family member or friend to interpret on your behalf. In some instances, such as with children, medical staff will only use registered interpreters when making assessments or discussing treatment.

What to bring

You can use the following as a checklist of what to bring with you.

  • Your admission details
  • All your current medication
  • Any information or letter your GP may have asked you to bring in
  • Your prescription exemption certificate or prepayment certificate, if you have one
  • Your record card if you are taking steroids or anticoagulation therapy or are a diabetic
  • Clothing – space for outdoor clothes is limited on the wards and there are no laundry facilities
  • Please ask your visitors to remove your laundry when they come to see you. Otherwise please bring with you:
    • clothes for wearing during the day
    • pyjamas or night-dress
    • dressing gown and slippers
  • Toiletries including:
    • two towels
    • toothbrush & toothpaste
    • hairbrush/comb
    • shampoo
    • shaving equipment
    • make-up bag
    • paper hankies
    • sanitary towels (if required)
  • Spectacle/contacts lenses (please label your case with your name)
  • Hearing aids
  • Any walking aid you would normally use (please label with your name)
  • Name, address and contact details of your next of kin
  • Electrical equipment – due to health and safety regulation, the Trust must test all electrical equipment used on its premises before use. This includes laptops, portable DVD players, hand held game consoles etc. Please speak to the ward staff who will organise this on your admission. Battery operated shavers and toothbrushes are allowed

It may be useful to bring such items as books, writing materials, stamps, and change for the payphone etc.

Money and valuables

Please do not bring valuables or large sums of money in with you. We regret that we cannot accept liability for money or valuables which are not handed in for safekeeping.

Medicines

Please bring with you any medicines which you are taking or using, show these to the ward staff.

Many wards operate a “self-medication” system whereby you keep and continue to take your own medicines.

Plan your journey

Visit our hospital pages for information about how to get here and where to park.

For information about disabled accessibility information about the pre-operative assessment area at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston please see our AccessAble accessibility guide.