Coming to hospital

 Here are the most common things that you will have to remember:

• Have I informed family or friends?
• Do I need to cancel any daily milk or newspaper orders?
• Am I expecting any deliveries?
• Could someone pop in and simply open and close the curtains?
• Are there any support services such as meal or medicine deliveries that need to be informed?
• Are all doors and windows and doors locked?
• Can I try using timer switches on lamps/radios etc?
• Have I arranged for someone to take care of any pets? (Note that the S.S.P.C.A. can help with this)
• Should I tell the Department of Work and Pensions? (a stay in hospital may affect any benefits you receive)
• Do I need to tell the Social Work Department to rearrange home helps/carers

By car

Car parking and map - VHK

Car parking and map - QMH

By public transport

• Traffic Scotland live traffic information and incident updates 
• ScotRail Live JourneyCheck
• A Guide to Concessionary Travel Transport Scotland- Concessionary Travel
• Traveline Scotland Plan your journey on public transport
• Plan your public transport journey
• Queensferry Crossing 
• Stagecoach Bus Service Updates
• Tay Road Bridge

Travel costs

You may be able to claim your travelling expenses. In order to claim, you must provide evidence that you are in receipt of one of the following benefits:

• Disability Working Allowance, Family Tax Credit, HC2 or HC3 Certificate from the DSS, Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, War Pension

If you wish to make a claim, please ask the ward staff to confirm your attendance at hospital on the appropriate claim form. Take this, together with confirmation of your entitlement and bus tickets to the Hospital Cashier.

Find out more information by reading:

NHS Fife travel expenses leaflet (PDF - printable version)

NHS Fife travel expenses leaflet (PDF - accessible version)

If you have any queries regarding travelling expenses, you can e-mail fife.patienttravel@nhs.scot

Ambulance transport for patients

Ambulance transport can be provided in some cases for medical reasons. Ambulances are provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Find out more about transport support

Should you require transport to get you to hospital, you should contact your GP to ask if he/she can arrange for an ambulance or hospital car to transport you. (Unless you have been told otherwise by hospital medical staff).

Please do not bring anyone with you in the ambulance unless this has been agreed in advance.

Unfortunately, we are unable to give exact timings of when ambulances will arrive.

In some cases, a hospital car can be provided by the ambulance service if you are unable to make your way to hospital or you have no-one to bring you and you require assistance

Fife Community Transport Service

You may be able to access community transport support to aid you in attending hospital appointments.

Community Transport Services Leaflet (PDF - printable version)

Community Transport Services Leaflet (PDF - printable version)

Getting to our community hospitals

See each individual hospital page

What to bring

• Your admission letter
• Tablets and medicines – bring all your tablets, creams, drops, medicines etc that you are currently taking, including herbal remedies and any medicines you have bought
• Mobile phone and charger/powerbank
• Day clothes, night clothes, slippers, dressing gown, underwear. You may keep your day clothes but try to arrange for your suitcase to be taken home. It may help to put your name in your clothes to prevent items getting lost.
• Toiletries, hairbrush, comb, shampoo, soap, paper tissues, toothbrush, toothpaste, denture cleaner, shaving equipment, sanitary protection
• Face flannel, towels (hand and bath), wet wipes
• Items you need every day – for example your walking aid, hearing aids, glasses, orthopaedic shoes
• Entertainment items such as books, writing materials and envelopes, postage stamps, small change for the telephone, newspapers etc.
• Items of religious importance to you

Transport to other areas of Scotland

Sometimes, you may be asked to travel to other health boards such as NHS Lothian for medical appointments.

You may be able to take care of your own transport if you have a car or can use public transport. Alternatively, you may find that you can ask friends or family to help.

However, sometimes this may not be possible and the Scottish Ambulance Service can help if you can give them as much notice as possible.

Find out about contacting the Scottish Ambulance Service for transport support

Ambulance transport support

If you feel that you need Ambulance transport please call 0300 123 1236.

To use Text Relay dial 18001 03001231236 – for anyone hard of hearing.

Calls are charged at local rates for mobiles and landlines.

A call handler will ask you questions to help decide the transport that you need.

Please note:

• Please call as soon as you are notified of your hospital or clinic appointment.
• If you need support, your carer, friend, relative or GP can make the request on your behalf.
• Having a hospital or clinic appointment does not mean that you automatically qualify for ambulance transport.

Find out more about ambulance transport support

Ward accommodation

All hospital wards have been designed to provide accommodation which is flexible for use by either sex. All Day Rooms are available for use by all patients, regardless of sex.

Children’s ward accommodation

Beds are allocated by age. Wherever possible, adolescents are allocated single room accommodation. If you have any queries about the accommodation in the ward to which you will be admitted, you should contact the ward Charge Nurse, who will try to assist you.
Staff
You will be informed of the names of the nurse and doctor in charge of your care. Staff will introduce themselves before attending to you.

Nurse call system

You will have a nurse call system at your bedside, which will alert staff if you need attention.
Consent
It is important that you should understand the nature of any treatment which is to be carried out. This should be explained to you by the doctor or nurse. You may be asked to read and sign a form of agreement should you require an examination/operation under general anaesthetic. If you are under the age of 16, we will usually ask for a parent or guardian’s consent.
The law states that if the minor understands the procedure in the opinion of the doctor concerned, that minor can consent, otherwise the legal guardian needs to consent.

Meals

A menu card system is used within the hospital to enable you to select your choice of meal and meet any special dietary requirements.

Meals for patients of minority groups

NHS Fife aims to provide you with a menu which is suitable, familiar and acceptable to you, at the same time ensuring that your dietary needs and requirements are met. If you require a special meal, please let us know, as far in advance as is practicably possible so that we can make the necessary arrangements. On your admission to hospital, please ask a member of the nursing staff to contact the Dietitian or Catering Department.

Before you are discharged, the staff will organise any support services you may need on your return home such as:

• Home help service
• District nurse service
• Physiotherapy
• Meal delivery service
• Equipment

You will be given a letter of discharge to give to your GP. You may also be given a letter to give to your District Nurse. You should pass this letter on as soon as you can as it will contain details of what treatment you should receive.

If you need any medicines you will be given a 7-day supply before you leave the ward to keep you going until you see your General Practitioner.

If you need an Outpatient appointment, a date may be given to you before you leave. Otherwise, a card giving the necessary information will be sent to your home.

Before leaving the ward, check that you have collected all your belongings. If you are not going back immediately to your own home, please leave a forwarding address. This will allow hospital staff to send on any mail.

Whilst NHS Fife will continue to operate a whole of site smoking ban, these new regulations establish no-smoking areas directly outside hospital buildings.  This includes awning, canopies or any other over hanging structure. 

NHS Fife is a health-promoting organisation and is committed to the provision of a healthy, smoke-free environment for staff, service users and their families/carers by reducing exposure to second-hand smoke.   

If you are found smoking with 15 metres of a hospital building and are asked to stop, please do so right away and remain courteous to those reminding you of the no-smoking law.  

Enforcement of the regulations will be undertaken by designated officers of the Environmental Health team of Fife Council. 

If you would like assistance to stop smoking free advice, medications and support is available through the NHS. Anyone who would like support to stop smoking can contact the Fife Stop Smoking Service on 0800 025 3000. 

For more information on the new legislation visit www.gov.scot/nosmokingzones