Welcome

This section provides you with practical information about hospital visiting times, to information on how to prepare for a stay in hospital as an inpatient.

Named Personal Contact

Due to patient confidentiality, we are unable to give out information about your health to individuals – unless they are your named personal contact.

We ask that you identify one personal contact that with your permission, your progress can be shared with. This may be a member of your family, carer, or a friend.

Additional Support

If you feel that you would benefit from some additional support to make your stay more comfortable, or to help you communicate, please ask a member of staff. This might be:

lifting equipment if you have difficulty standing, or transferring from a wheelchair
if you require information in other languages
a language interpreter, or someone to sign if you are deaf
assistance if you are visually impaired
access to a Hearing Loop.
baby/child changing

Parking for disabled people is situated near the hospital entrance. Should you require a wheelchair, these are available at the main hospital entrance.

Guide and hearing dogs are permitted within the Outpatient Department.

Confidentiality

Patients and their visitors are asked to please respect the privacy of other patients and their families.

Smoking policy

On 5th September 2022, it became an offence for anyone to smoke, or knowingly permit smoking, within 15 metres of a hospital building. This includes awnings, canopies or any other over hanging structure. In addition, no smoking applies to all other NHS Western Isles premises, buildings and grounds. This includes the use of E-cigarettes.

If appropriate, when patients are admitted to hospital a Quit Your Way Hebrides Smoking Cessation Advisor can visit you and chat through the best options to help you manage. If patients or their visitors require this service, please ask the patient’s named nurse to arrange it for you.

Media devices

WiFi – Free public WiFi is available within NHS Western Isles premises.
Mobile, Tablet and Laptop – Mobile, tablet and laptops are permitted in many areas of the hospital. Some exceptions may apply. Check with your named nurse if you are unsure. Please be considerate to others:
- switch your device to silent, vibrate or use headphones
- video recording and photography is forbidden.

Laundry Service

If your hospital offers hospital laundry services please mark your clothing clearly with your name and area or village you come from. This helps to prevent clothes getting lost. If you require this service please ask your named nurse to arrange it for you.

Advice for patients and carers: hospital healthcare appointments.

NHS Western Isles would like to remind patients and their carers that Infection Prevention and Control restrictions remain in place at each of its hospital sites, with patients being requested to enter hospital buildings unaccompanied, unless absolutely necessary.

Carers and family are welcome to walk patients to main entrances but, unless critical to patient care, they will then be requested to return to their vehicle to wait for the patient to exit the building.

A handy leaflet has been produced for all patients (inpatient or outpatient) on the importance of wearing a face mask. To view/download ‘Wearing a Face Mask: Information for patients', click here.

Anyone attending healthcare appointments must ensure they follow social distancing guidance (maintaining a 2 metre distance from others), and adhere strict hygiene (using hand sanitiser on entry and/or washing their hands with soap and water often for at least 20 seconds) to reduce the risk of infection.

You will be required to comply with the measures in place when you attend our premises, including measures that relate to hand hygiene, physical distancing and the wearing of face masks or other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required. The measures currently in place will be made clear to you by our staff on arrival, or prior to attending. These measures may change at short-notice.

It is important that you attend on time if you have an appointment (please do not attend early or late) and please attend alone unless you require assistance.

Other changes you may notice in healthcare premises include our staff wearing PPE for infection prevention and control reasons, and spacing between chairs in our waiting rooms and ward areas. Please do not move chairs – the distancing is in place to protect you and others.

If a patient is experiencing any symptoms of coronavirus (high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to sense of smell or taste), they must contact their clinician to reschedule their appointment.

Anyone experiencing coronavirus symptoms must not attend their GP, pharmacy or hospital. Instead they are expected to stay at home for 10 days from the start of their symptoms even if they think your symptoms are mild. All other household members should isolate as a household for 10 days even if they don’t have symptoms themselves. The 10-day period starts from the first day the person had symptoms.

For further information visit: http://www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus or contact the local COVID Response Team on 01851 601151 or email: wi.covid19queries@nhs.scot