Palmerston North Hospital Patient Information
Information for patients who will be staying at Palmerston North Hospital.
MidCentral Health Logo.
Patient Safety
Patient feedback
Items to bring to hospital
Support/Contact Person
Ensuring everyone Gets the Necessary Treatment
Patient Responsibilities
Cultural Services
Travel Assistance
Electrical Equipment
Health Professionals and Support Staff will be involved in your care
Newspapers/Volunteers
MidCentral Health Pharmacy
Interpreter Services
Patient Rights
Justice of the Peace
Telephone Use for Patients
Visiting Hours
Patient Safety
Patients are expected to:
- Follow staff instructions in the event of an emergency
- Not to use cell phones
- Ensure your razor, hairdryer etc is in good working order
- Not use an electric blanket.
Prepare for all procedures according to the instructions given to you. If in doubt, ring the department or ask a staff member.
Patient Feedback
Look for the ‘Tell Us What You Think’ forms available in every department/service.
Advise MidCentral Health of your suggestion, problem or compliment. If you have a complaint, please let MidCentral Health know. Details are in the ‘Rights and Responsibilities'’ brochure.
Items to bring to hospital:
- Nightwear, dressing gown and slippers.
- Toiletries, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving kit, comb, brush; tampons/sanitary towels (for women).
- Glasses, hearing aid and/or walking aid.
- Favourite toy or blanket for child.
- Tissues, handkerchiefs.
- Change for telephone/newspapers.
- Items for personal use, such as a pen, writing paper, books, magazines.
- Any private xrays or scans.
- Any documents in your possession relating to ACC compensation.
- Medication – please bring all medication you are currently taking including any natural remedies and supplements. They will be returned to you when you leave. Where practical, staff will continue to use your own medicines once they have been charted so your pre-existing treatment is not interrupted. Any extra medicines associated with your admission will be provided by the hospital.
- People in hospital may get dressed during the day if they wish. Clothing should be comfortable and suitable to be washed and dried in the ward laundry. You are welcome to bring a pillow from home if you wish. A warm dressing gown, sweatshirt or jacket are advisable for transfers to other departments in the hospital such as X-ray that may be required as part of your treatment.
Remember, MidCentral Health cannot take responsibility for the safety of these items in all patient areas.
Support/Contact Person
- If you know when the doctor is coming around, it is encouraged that your support person be present. We can arrange a meeting with the doctor – please ask a staff member. Should you or staff see it as desirable, a family group conference will be arranged.
- Your identified support/contact person will receive information about your care unless you tell staff that you do not want them to do that. We will obtain your permission before giving information to any other relative or friend.
- To ensure you receive the appropriate care for your medical condition, staff ask that you are open and honest with the information you give us.
- Your discharge will be planned as soon as possible. It is important that once you are clinically safe, staff will discharge you from hospital. This will ensure that beds are free for acutely ill patients. You may be transferred to the Transit Lounge to wait for your family to pick you up. It may be that you will have to wait there to collect your discharge letter and prescription. Every effort is made to ensure that your discharge goes as smoothly as possible.
Ensuring everyone gets the necessary treatment
Access into services provided by MidCentral Health will be assessed on clinical criteria. This ensures resources are used by those people needing the services the most. The majority of services provided by MidCentral Health are free of charge. Should you be required to pay, you will be informed before the service is provided.
Patient Responsibilities
MidCentral hospital campus has a non-smoking policy. For patients who smoke and are admitted to hospital, a Quit-Coach is available from Quit Smoking Services to visit or you can be referred to this service by staff on the ward. Medical and nursing staff can supply you with nicotine patches free of charge, to help you over this period
We need to keep all patients and staff safe. Many areas are monitored with:
- Surveillance cameras
- Access card only admittance.
Please don’t be offended if we inquire into your business on the site. All visitors on site after 8.00pm will be monitored.
You have responsibilities while you are on MidCentral Health sites. Should your behaviour be unacceptable, you will be asked to leave.
MidCentral Health can not be responsible for personal possessions, so please only bring what is absolutely necessary to the hospital.
Cultural Services
When patients are admitted on to a ward, the nurses do an assessment of the person’s physical and emotional condition. There is a section in this assessment on values and beliefs. This is an opportunity for patients to identify any particular cultural requirements or to request a visit from a minister or Maori Health Unit staff.
If you have identified your desire to see a Chaplain on admission, you will be visited. If during your admission you require comfort, prayer, communion, anointing, confidential sharing or family support, please ask a staff member to arrange it for you.
Ecumenical Communion is taken in the Chapel every Sunday at 10.30am.
Travel Assistance
Patients travelling from outside of Palmerston North for treatment may be entitled to financial assistance with costs associated with travel. A pamphlet titled Travel and Accommodation Assistance outlines the assistance available and has an application form attached. Pamphlets are available from all the treatment areas or directly from the MidCentral Health Welfare Officer, situated behind the Enquiry desk at the main entrance, ph (06) 350 8944. Questions related to accommodation or travel assistance should go directly to the Welfare Officer.
Electrical Equipment
- All bed sides have a radio with earphones.
- Each patient area has a TV in the lounge.
- Bringing radios, TVs, laptops, mobile phones into the hospital is not encouraged.
Many health professionals and support staff will be involved in your care
- You will be under the care of a Specialist Consultant.
- The consultant will have the support of a Registrar and House Surgeon. During the week you will be seen daily by a doctor. During the weekend, a doctor will see you if it is clinically indicated.
- You will have a team of nurses caring for you who may be supported by physiotherapists, social workers, occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, dieticians, pharmacist technicians and care assistants. You can expect these people to introduce themselves and explain their role in your care. Some of these health professionals will be training.
- Write down questions you or your family wish to ask any health professional to ensure you get all the information you need.
Newspapers/Volunteers
Both the Dominion Post and Evening Standard are sold daily at your beside.
Volunteers provide:
- A mobile shop
- Replacement magazines
- Arrangement of flowers.
MidCentral Health Pharmacy
Provides hospital only and specialised prescription/products. The health professional caring for you will direct you there as necessary. For more information please go to the Pharmacy page.
Patient Rights
Please ensure you receive a copy of MidCentral Health ‘Rights and Responsibility’ brochure or look for one of the posters in the area you are in. MidCentral Health staff have a responsibility to deliver health care to you ensuring your rights are met.
Should you require an advocate that is not a MidCentral Health staff member, please contact ADNET on phone (06) 353 7236.
Please look for specific information in the ward if you are an inpatient.
Justice of the Peace
There are staff who can provide the duties of a Justice of the Peace should you require one. Please ask a staff member.
Telephone use for patients
All patient areas have a telephone available for patients. As many of these are a cost to MidCentral Health, we ask that all calls are kept short.
Visiting Hours
Visiting hours for Wards are daily from 2pm to 8pm. In some circumstances this can be extended by arrangement with the Charge Nurse. Sometimes it is important to limit the number of visitors a patient has at a time because of the risk of infection, the patients general condition or the other people in the room. Relatives are not encouraged to visit outside these hours unless there are specific circumstances and these can be negotiated with the Charge Nurse.
For general information regarding a visit in hospital please view General Information for Patients and Visitors.
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Last Updated 28/09/2011