patients

During Your Stay

Your Room

All of our rooms include:

En-suite bathroom
Nurse call facilities
Telephone with direct dial facilities
Remote control satellite television
Air conditioning
Fridge
Hairdryer (women's health and maternity rooms)
Personal safe

Telephone Calls

Calls will come directly to you in your room via an automated attendant requesting the caller to dial a number as provided. If you do not wish to receive external calls, please call switchboard on ‘0' and ask for incoming calls to be barred.

All outgoing calls from your room telephone are chargeable with a few exceptions. Further details of charges are available within your room.

Mobile Phones

It is important that you and your visitors refrain from using mobile phones on the premises, as this may cause problems with hospital equipment.

Catering

Each day you will be able to choose your meal from our daily menus which will be delivered to your room. If you have a request for dishes not shown on the menus, please contact our Catering Manager. We can cater for almost all dietary needs. On admission please call Room Service on 8038 and inform the Catering Supervisor of your needs and room number. Halal meat is provided for all Arabic Patients. In the case of extremely rare dietary requirements, please contact our Catering department in advance of your hospital stay on 020 7390 6144.

Room Service

A Room Service menu will be in your room. Room Service is available until 8.30pm. After this time a selection of sandwiches, tea and coffee may be ordered. Tea and coffee is included in the room charge. Additional refreshments such as sandwiches, guest meals and other drinks are served as required to patients and visitors, with charges indicated on the menu.

Meal Times:

Continental breakfast served	from 7:00am - 9:00am
Cooked breakfast served	from 7:30am - 9:00am (on request)
Lunch served	from 12:00 noon - 1:30pm
Dinner served	from 5:00pm - 7:30pm

Housekeeping

Cleanliness and hygiene are extremely high on our day to day agenda. All of our Housekeeping Assistants are Portland Hospital employees and will ensure that your room will be cleaned to a high standard. A Housekeeping Assistant will call on you daily to clean your room and supply you with fresh towels. A dry cleaning service is also available through the Housekeeping department.

Infection Control

There are hand cleansing gel dispensers in hospital lifts, as well as inside and outside all rooms. Your visitors should wash their hands on entering your room and then use the cleansing hand gel provided. It is also advisable for visitors to again wash their hands and use hand cleansing gel when they leave your room.

Security

The Portland Hospital pays vigorous attention to the safety and security of our patients and staff. Staff and doctors of the hospital are issued with personal electronic security tags to allow them access to the hospital.

All visitors must report to the Front Reception desk at every visit and sign the visitor's book. Video cameras are placed in strategic areas to monitor and record movements within the hospital. Additionally, there is a baby system in operation on our maternity wards to provide greater security in the care of the newborn babies.

Identification Band

On arrival you will be asked to wear an identification band that must not be removed while you are in the hospital. It enables staff who may not know you personally to look after you. If it comes off please tell a member of staff who will replace it.

Confidentiality

The Portland Hospital is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998. All personal information is held in the strictest confidence and no information will shared without your knowledge and consent. The Access to Health Records Act 1990, gives patients the right of access to medical information about themselves in manually held records made after 1st November 1991.

Visitors

Visiting is unrestricted for parents of child patients and partners but we do ask for the co-operation of visitors.

Please ensure that during rest periods and where medically indicated, consideration is shown. We request that all visitors leave the hospital by 10pm. Parents of child patients and partners are able to stay overnight if desired. For children under the age of twelve, one companion may have a complimentary stay with each patient, including all meals. For all other patients there is a fee of Ł75 for companions for each nights stay which is exclusive of meals and drinks.

For security reasons, please ask your visitors to sign in at the main reception and report to the nurse station on your floor before entering your room.

Newspapers

Reception will call your room in the evening to ascertain if you require a newspaper for the following day. The Times newspaper is complimentary on request. Other newspapers can be requested but will be charged to your account.

Smoking

The hospital operates a non smoking policy in the best interest of babies and other patients.

Gratuities

It is our aim to provide you with the highest standards of care in all aspects. Employees are rewarded by knowing that they have helped in your recovery. They do not expect to receive tips or gratuities for carrying out their jobs to your satisfaction. Our policy expressly states that staff may not accept extra payment for services performed and we courteously ask you to assist us in implementing this policy.

Interpreter

Interpreter services can be organised to assist you during your hospital stay. Please contact our Pre-admission department in advance of your hospital stay.

Mail

All cards, flowers and gifts will be delivered to your room by our Front of House staff.

Clergy

Your own religious advisor is welcome to visit you while you are in hospital. Ministers of most denominations may be contacted through the hospital and the nursing staff can arrange this should you wish.

Fire Instructions

For your safety the hospital is protected by an automatic fire alarm system. On the floor where the fire is detected and the alarm is raised, there will be a continuous loud ringing bell. The other floors will have a loud intermittent bell.

Satisfaction Survey

We are proud of our patient care and work hard to make each patient's time with us as pleasant as possible. Our patient survey is an important indicator of how well we achieve this and we monitor the results very closely.

During the period January 1st to December 31st 2006 The Portland hospital received 873 completed patient feedback questionnaires. We are pleased to report that 97% of patients responding rated their Overall Quality of Care as good or better.

A copy of our patient feedback form is available in all bedrooms. To help us to improve our services, we ask that you please compete this form and hand it to a member of the ward staff.

Going Home

Your Consultant, together with your nursing team, will advise when you are ready to go home. Following treatment under general anaesthetic we recommend that you are collected from the hospital as you should not drive for 24 hours.

We request that you vacate your room by 10am to help us to accommodate the regular demand for our bedrooms. Your cooperation is requested and appreciated. If leaving later of your own choice, you will be charged an hourly rate up to 6pm after which you will be charged for the full day.

Telephone Directory:

Numbers are listed in our Hospital Telephone Directory

Preparing for Your Stay