Patients and visitors

Following your consultation and/or initial referral, we will contact you via post, email, or telephone to confirm the exact date and time of your inpatient admission to our hospitals.

You will usually be asked to come to the main reception desk or private patient office at your chosen hospital on the day of your admission. A member of our inpatient team will support your care after arrival (see ‘introductions’ below).

A member of staff will register and direct you to the ward where you will be met by one of the ward team.

There will be some paperwork to complete, relating to your personal details and medical history. You will also be asked to complete some forms relating to payment of treatment charges and, if applicable submit a deposit which will contribute to the full cost. Any shortfall needs to be settled when you leave the hospital.

When you arrive at the ward, you will be introduced to your nurse, who will have primary responsibility for your day-to-day care. Your nurse will be able to explain the ward routine and answer any questions you may have.

Your nurse will work alongside a multidisciplinary team of clinical specialists including pharmacists, dieticians, and physiotherapists to ensure you receive exceptional care.

Shortly after your arrival, you will also be seen by one of our experienced residential medical officers.

We always make sure that our patients understand their treatment and the reasons behind it. We will discuss your treatment, its benefits and risks, fully with you before going ahead with it.

We also respect each patient’s right to confidentiality and accordingly will only discuss their care with relatives with their consent. In situations where a patient cannot give or withhold consent to treatment then our healthcare professionals must proceed based on what they consider to be the patient’s best interest.

In such cases, they will discuss any wishes previously expressed by the patient and may discuss the risks and benefits of the proposed treatment with relatives.

All our inpatient rooms have en-suite facilities and are equipped with a nurse call system, television, radio, direct dial telephone and free internet access. Soap and towels are provided but you are advised to bring your own toiletries.

You are generally welcome to use your mobile phone in your room and in designated areas.  You can also make phone calls using the hospital’s telephone system. Any external calls will be charged to your account. Ask a member of staff for details of charges.

Wi-Fi internet access details are specific to each of our hospitals and will be available in your room.

Each room has an en-suite bathroom, a television, and a telephone with direct-dial facilities to and from your room. Telephone bills are sent after discharge. Towels are provided, and shaver points are available for electric razors.

Whatever your length of stay, please bring all your medication, in the original packaging, with you to the ward. Please ensure you have an adequate supply for your stay.

For patients with mobility problems, please bring your mobility aids such as walking sticks or frames.

If your planned stay is a day or longer, you should bring with you:

• a copy of your current health insurance certificate or card, to allow us to liaise directly with your insurance company (if your stay is covered by insurance)
• the name, address and phone number of your doctor or GP
• comfortable clothing such as a tracksuit
• nightclothes, a dressing gown, and slippers
• wash bag with washing and shaving materials

Essential valuables can be kept by arrangement with the nurses. However, we recommend that all valuables including credit cards should be left at home, as the hospital cannot assume responsibility for them.

To make sure your stay is as comfortable as possible, we offer a range of nutritionally balanced meals and cater for all dietary requirements including vegetarian, gluten-free, kosher and halal meals.

Our friendly hospitality staff are happy to assist with any special dietary needs. Please contact your consultant’s secretary or our inpatient team with your requirements before admission and we can make the necessary arrangements.

Your family and friends are welcome to order food but please be aware that meals and refreshments for visitors are chargeable.

While nutritious meals are provided for our patients, you can also enjoy food at one of the stores, cafés or restaurants located at our hospitals. Some of our hospitals also have convenience stores for daily essentials.

Harefield Hospital

You can have a snack at the friendly Pavilion run by the League of Friends. If preferred, you can have a meal at Harefield Hospital’s restaurant, The Hungry Hare. This is located opposite the main entrance, below the concert hall.

Royal Brompton Hospital

We have a variety of hot and cold drinks and snack options at the coffee shop located close to the main reception. Alternatively, you can enjoy a meal at the Garden Restaurant on Level 1 which serves lunch and dinner, seven days a week. There is also a WHSmith for daily essentials.

St Thomas’ Hospital and Evelina London Children’s Hospital (same location)

We have a range of options for food and drinks. These include M&S Café and M&S Simply Food, Costa Coffee, Toms Riverside Café and Toms Shepherd Hall Restaurant. There is also a WHSmith and Stock Shop for daily essentials and women’s clothing.

We provide a number of facilities and contacts to support the spiritual and religious needs of our patients and their relatives and friends. This includes our prayer rooms and chapels, as well as on-site religious representatives at our hospitals. Explore our facilities below.

Royal Brompton Hospital

Our multi-faith rooms at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals allows people of all religions and backgrounds a private and quiet place to pray or contemplate. The room is equipped with holy books, a male/female room divider and prayer mats. Washing facilities are also nearby.

Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield Hospital each have a Christian Chapel which provides a quiet and tranquil space, away from the wards, for use by all.

Our chaplaincy service will support patients, their relatives and friends by providing someone who can listen in confidentiality and provide support and information.

We offer a number of on-site religious representatives which can also be contacted any time to meet your individual needs. To make use of this service, simply ask the customer services team or your nurse.

Guy’s Hospital 

Guy’s Chapel is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It is located just off St Thomas Street at Guy’s Hospital, London SE1 9RT.

Our multi-faith prayer room is open from 8am to 7pm every day. It is located on the ground floor at Guy’s Hospital, Tower Wing.

Evelina London Children’s and St Thomas’ hospitals

Evelina London and St Thomas’ hospitals are in the same location and share religious facilities.

St Thomas’ Chapel is open from 7am to 10pm every day. It is located on the 1st floor of St Thomas’ Hospital.

Our multi-faith prayer room is open from 8am to 8pm every day. It is located on the ground floor at St Thomas’ Hospital, South Wing (near Central Hall).

We want to make sure that you have everything that you need for your continued recovery when you go home from the hospital.

When you are admitted as an inpatient for surgery or a procedure, we will discuss an approximate discharge date with you. As soon as your doctor feels that you are well enough to leave the hospital, we will confirm a specific date with you.

If required, we can supply medical certificates covering your stay before you go home.

Before you leave the hospital, we will explain to you all the medicines you will be taking, why you are taking them and how often you need to take them. If you would like written information, we can normally supply patient information leaflets for any of the medicines – just ask.

When you go home, we will make sure that you have at least 14 days’ supply of each medicine that you are taking. Once that supply is finished, you will need to visit your local doctor to get a new supply. Drugs that you take home with you are not covered by private medical insurance, so you may need to pay for these.

If you have any questions or queries about medication when you return home, you can call our Medicines Helpline on 020 7351 8901. The line is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

We welcome friends and family to visit inpatients at most times.

Visitors should please check with the ward staff to see when the best time is to visit their loved one, as it may vary depending on the patient’s care and treatment. Patients can tire easily and need plenty of rest.

Royal Brompton Hospital – Sir Reginald Wilson ward

Friends and family are welcome to visit 7 days a week, between 10am and 10pm. There is a rest period for patients between 1pm and 2pm. During this period, the ward is closed to visitors.

The intensive care (ITU / ICU) and the high dependency unit (HDU) do have limitations on the times and number of visits per patient. Visiting times are as follows:

• HDU: 11am to 1pm and 3:30pm to 7:30pm.
• AICU: 11am to 12 midday and 4pm to 7pm.
• Recovery: after 6pm.

Harefield Hospital – Juniper ward

You can visit 7 days a week, between 10am and 9pm. There is a rest period for patients between 1pm and 2pm. During this period, the ward is closed to visitors.

Juniper Ward’s high dependency unit (HDU) welcomes visitors from 2pm to 9pm, with a restriction on the number of visitors.

St Thomas’ Hospital – Howard ward

You can visit inpatients 7 days a week, between 11am and 8pm.

There is a maximum of 3 to 4 visitors per patient.

St Thomas’ Hospital – Westminster Maternity Suite

You are welcome to visit 7 days a week, between 3pm and 8pm.

There is a maximum of 2 visitors per patient.

Evelina London Children’s Hospital

You can visit inpatients on the ward 7 days a week, between 12pm and 7pm.

There is a maximum of 2 visitors per patient and only one visitor may stay overnight.

In the emergency department, there is a maximum of 1 visitor per patient.

While visiting a patient in one of our hospitals, visitors can dine with our patients in their room. At our hospitals, visitors are welcome to purchase food from the canteen or shops and dine with the patient in their room.

Guy’s Hospital

We have an M&S Food To Go, Toms Café and AMT Coffee for food and drinks. There is also a WHSmith for daily essentials.

Harefield Hospital

You can have a snack at the friendly Pavilion run by the League of Friends. If preferred, they can have a meal at Harefield Hospital’s restaurant, The Hungry Hare. This is located opposite the main entrance, below the concert hall.

Royal Brompton Hospital

Visitors can enjoy a variety of hot and cold drinks and snacks at the coffee shop located close to the main reception or you can enjoy a meal at the Garden Restaurant on Level 1 which serves lunch and dinner, seven days a week. There is also a WHSmith for daily essentials.

St Thomas’ Hospital and Evelina London Children’s Hospital (same location)

Visitors have a range of options to get food and drinks. These include M&S Café and M&S Simply Food, Costa Coffee, Toms Riverside Café and Toms Shepherd Hall Restaurant. There is also a WHSmith and Stock Shop for daily essentials and women’s clothing.

We provide a number of facilities and contacts to support the spiritual and religious needs of our patients and their relatives and friends. This includes our prayer rooms and chapels, as well as on-site religious representatives at our hospitals. Explore our facilities below.

Royal Brompton Hospital

Our multi-faith rooms at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals allows people of all religions and backgrounds a private and quiet place to pray or contemplate. The room is equipped with holy books, a male/female room divider and prayer mats. Washing facilities are also nearby.

Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield Hospital each have a Christian Chapel which provides a quiet and tranquil space, away from the wards, for use by all.

Our chaplaincy service will support patients, their relatives and friends by providing someone who can listen in confidentiality and provide support and information.

We offer a number of on-site religious representatives which can also be contacted any time to meet your individual needs. To make use of this service, simply ask the customer services team or your nurse.

Guy’s Hospital 

Guy’s Chapel is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It is located just off St Thomas Street at Guy’s Hospital, London SE1 9RT.

Our multi-faith prayer room is open from 8am to 7pm every day. It is located on the ground floor at Guy’s Hospital, Tower Wing.

Evelina London Children’s and St Thomas’ hospitals

Evelina London and St Thomas’ hospitals are in the same location and share religious facilities.

St Thomas’ Chapel is open from 7am to 10pm every day. It is located on the 1st floor of St Thomas’ Hospital.

Our multi-faith prayer room is open from 8am to 8pm every day. It is located on the ground floor at St Thomas’ Hospital, South Wing (near Central Hall).

If your loved one is in hospital, we recognise that you will want to stay close by so that you can see each other often.

At our hospitals, our team can arrange accommodation within the hospital grounds, subject to availability.

Evelina London Children’s Hospital

We understand that you will want to stay close to your child while they are in hospital.  The majority of beds within Evelina have a pull-down adult bed next to them allowing one parent or carer to stay with their child overnight. We provide linen, towels and showering facilities.

Occasionally, relatives can stay in the patient’s room at the discretion of the ward sister or ward co-ordinator, but normally it is only possible if the patient requires language assistance or has additional personal care needs.

Harefield Hospital

Visitors have the benefit of accommodation at Parkwood House. This is a small, friendly, hotel-style house within the hospital grounds. It offers single or double rooms at reasonable rates.

Royal Brompton Hospital

Accommodation is limited and needs to be booked in advance. As a result, only one of your visitors can stay there at a time.

St Thomas’ Hospital

Visitors have access to on-site accommodation. River-View apartments provide short and long-term temporary accommodation.

Located on the St Thomas’ hospital site, the self-contained apartments offer a ‘home from home’ environment and spectacular views of the River Thames and Westminster Palace.

Choose from 2 or 3-bed apartments with an open-plan kitchen, lounge, free Wi-Fi and TV. Complimentary bath linen and toiletries are provided.

For accommodation enquiries and reservations, call +44 (0)20 7188 0276 or email stthomas.accommodation@gstt.nhs.uk.

Hotels

We have a partnership with the London Park Plaza Hotel group and can offer a special 15% discounted rate.

The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is just minutes from St Thomas’ and Evelina London Children’s Hospital, making visiting easy, and close to many of London’s famous landmarks.

Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London
200 Westminster Bridge Rd
London, SE1 7UT

Visitors to any of our hospitals and community sites are asked to adhere to our Trust infection and control policy, which includes the regular washing of hands and use of hand sanitiser. You may also be asked to wear a face masks while visiting some sites.

We ask all visitors not to visit any of our sites if they are feeling unwell, including but not limited to:

• a cough or runny nose
• fever
• infection
• experience of sickness or diarrhoea within the last 48 hours

The PALS team are located across our hospitals. Below are contact details for each location. They are available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm (excluding bank holidays).

Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals

Email: pals@rbht.nhs.uk

Phone numbers:

• Harefield Hospital: 01895 826 572
• Royal Brompton Hospital: 020 7349 7715

Evelina London Children’s, Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals

Email: pals@gstt.nhs.uk

Phone number (for all hospitals): 020 7188 8801

If you wish to make a formal complaint about your care, please be assured it will not affect the care or treatment offered to you.

The complaint should be made within six months of the incident or 1 year from when you realised that there was a need to complain. You can do this by writing to:

Chief Executive
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
St Thomas’ Hospital
Westminster Bridge Road
London
SE1 7EH

Your letter should include:

• where and when the problem happened
• a description of what happened
• the name of the person or service you are complaining about (where possible)
• what you would like to happen as a result of your complaint

You can also call us on: 020 7188 3514, or email us:

• Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals: complaints@rbht.nhs.uk
• Evelina London Children’s, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals: complaints2@gstt.nhs.uk

• We will send a letter within 3 working days of receiving your complaint, acknowledging receipt, indicating who will be investigating your complaint and how long it is anticipated it will take to complete the investigation.
• A senior member of staff will be allocated to carry out a thorough investigation and will call you to introduce themselves.
• If you are complaining on behalf of a patient, please note we will need the patient’s written consent before we can discuss with you their information. We will send you a form for the patient to sign indicating they agree to your receiving information about them.
• The response letter should answer all the points you raise in your complaint.
• Where possible we will take measures to ensure we learn from the situation, improve what we do and try to avoid the same from happening again.
• If you are not satisfied with the response from the CEO, please let us know your reasons why; we will then revisit the investigation to give a further response. We often will suggest a meeting with the key people involved as this can be a positive way to clarify events and work towards an amicable resolution.

We base our approach to the complaints we receive on 6 principles. Originally set out by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), they are:

• getting it right
• being customer focused
• being open and accountable
• acting fairly and proportionately
• putting things right
• seeking continuous improvement

If you are not satisfied with how our Trust handled your complaint, you have the right to an independent review. Below are details for the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service  (ISCAS) who can support you.

Address:

ISCAS
CEDR,
3^rd Floor
100 St Paul’s Churchyard
London, EC4M 8BU

Phone: 020 7536 6091

Email: info@iscas.org.uk

Website: www.iscas.org.uk