At your appointment
Who can I bring with me?
- You can be accompanied to outpatient or diagnostic appointments by one person. Please do not bring children to appointments for scans or imaging (e.g. x-rays), as they cannot go into the scan room with you and the staff cannot look after them.
- Guidance for patients and visitors visiting outpatient departments should be followed. Read about any current restrictions or advice.
- The patient support hub can help if you need a companion to support you at your appointment.
- See our site information page for information about wheelchairs to use in the hospital.
Telephone or video consultations
If your appointment is a telephone or video call, please try to be available for an hour before and after the time of your appointment in case the clinic is running early or late.
You may want to be in a private space for the call.
Please be aware that the phone number used to call you may not show (shows as blocked) because of the hospital network. Even if a number does show for the call, you will not be able to call this back. If you need to speak to someone, please use the number on your appointment letter.
If you miss the first call, there should be a second try at contacting you.
For more information on video calls.
What to bring with you
Please have the following information available no matter if your appointment is virtual or in person:
- Your appointment letter (access to a digital copy)
- Information about you - address, telephone number and GP details
- Your GP will send relevant information to the specialist as part of your referral, however, please have any information about your past medical history that the doctor or nurse will need to know. This is important so we can make sure that we can make the right decisions about your care with you.
- Information about the medicines you are taking, as this may have changed since you were referred to us. We will need to know what you are taking and how often you take it. This includes tablets, injections, liquids, creams, inhalers, and eye drops.
- Information about any allergies you have.
Specific information
There are patient information leaflets available which may provide specific details regarding your appointment. You can also find the department you are visiting for more information or advice.
Is it okay to ask lots of questions?
Of course. This is your chance to talk to your doctor, nurse, or other health care professional and to feel that you have all the information you need before you leave your appointment. We want you to be involved.
It is sometimes helpful to write down questions you want to ask as it is easy to forget when you are in your appointment if have been waiting for this for a while.
Please read more about shared decision making.
How long will my appointment last?
It is hard to give an exact timeframe as this depends on the department you are visiting. Please allow plenty of time if you are travelling to the hospital for the journey, parking, finding the department and for the appointment itself, which may include other tests and could be up to 2 hours or sometimes more.
For telephone or video appointments please ensure you have a private space that you able to talk in and although the team will try to ring you as close to your appointment time as possible, please be available to talk an hour before and after your appointment time.
Will I be prescribed any medication to take?
You may be prescribed medication as part of your assessment. If so, you will be given a hospital prescription for the hospital outpatient pharmacy to give out.
The outpatient pharmacy would normally supply enough medicine for up to one month (unless it is for short term medicine like pain relief or antibiotics).
Normal NHS prescription charges apply to outpatient and day case prescriptions. If you are exempt from these charges, or have a pre-payment certificate, you should bring this with you.
The pharmacy complete outpatient prescriptions as quickly as possible, but please remember that the staff must check that your prescription is right first.
If you are having any procedures carried out during your outpatient appointment, then please make sure that you have some simple pain relief at home like paracetamol and ibuprofen.
Will I meet students during my appointment?
UHS is a teaching hospital, and it is possible that you will meet student doctors, nurses and other trainee clinical staff. Students at all stages of their training may be involved in your care under supervision, or you may be asked to discuss your condition with a student.
You have the right to say no to being seen or treated by students and this will not affect the rest of your care at UHS in any way.
Will any samples or specimens be taken from me?
Sometimes samples or specimens are taken at your appointment or treatment to help us understand your condition or to plan your care. You will be asked for your consent for these samples or specimens to be taken.
Will I be asked to take part in health research?
You may be asked to take part in health research, but please ask about this in your appointment if it has not already been discussed.
You can find out more about taking part in health research trials.
Is smoking allowed in the hospital grounds?
UHS is a smoke-free site. This means that smoking tobacco is not allowed anywhere at UHS, both inside and in the hospital grounds.
There is help available to you to stop smoking, see our stopping smoking page here.
