01424 757400
Coming into hospital
We have prepared some helpful information about coming into hospital, however, if you have any questions or are unsure about anything, please contact the hospital where a member of our team will be happy to assist you.
When you come into Sussex Premier Health, you may be treated as:
- An outpatient – you’ll come in for an appointment but you won’t need to be given a bed or stay overnight
- A day case (day patient) – you’ll be admitted and given a room or bed, but you won’t need to stay overnight – this is usually for minor procedures or some diagnostic tests
- An inpatient –you’ll be admitted for treatment and will be staying with us for at least one night
Outpatients
As an outpatient, you’ll be here for a consultation, test or scan and won’t need to stay overnight. This will often be to see a consultant after a GP referral. We offer a range of outpatient services with consultants who are experts in a wide variety of specialties.
For your appointment, it’s a good idea to bring:
- Any medications you’re taking
- Glasses or prescription for ophthalmology appointments
- Notes about your symptoms, condition or any questions you may have
If you’re here for a consultation, your appointment will take place in one of our consulting rooms. Your consultant will discuss your medical history and tests or scans you’ve had before. Or, if you don’t yet have a diagnosis, they might recommend tests and scans to help them assess your condition. If so, your consultant will explain:
- Why the tests and/or scans are needed
- When they can be performed – you may need to come back another time
- What your healthcare package includes and any additional costs
- When you’ll receive the results
Once you’ve had any necessary tests and scans, your consultant will:
- Discuss the results with you
- Explain what your results mean
- If appropriate, begin to discuss your treatment options. This may be at another out-patient consultation or over the phone – depending on the situation
What happens next?
After you’ve been diagnosed, your consultant will:
- Discuss a treatment and recovery plan that’s tailored to your specific needs
- Ask about your lifestyle, your goals and your previous medical history to ensure you get the most appropriate treatment and aftercare plan for you
- Explain the next steps and arrange a follow-up appointment for your treatment to begin
If your treatment involves an operation as a day case or inpatient, you’ll be given advice about preparing for surgery and an information pack to take home with you.
For operations performed under general anaesthetic (where you’re asleep) you usually won’t be able to eat or drink anything beforehand. The length of time this will be depends on you and your treatment but is usually around six to eight hours for food and two hours for drink.
This will all be explained to you during your initial consultations.
Pre-operative assessment (day case and inpatients)
Allergies
Please let us know if you have any allergies.
There will be an opportunity for you to discuss this with the pre-assessment team. It’s really important that we’re aware of any allergies, including latex and food allergies so that we can take special precautions.
If you are booked for surgery or treatment, prior to your hospital admission, our pre-assessment team may ask to see you in our pre-admission clinic, where we will undertake some tests to make sure your stay in hospital is safe.
- We will ask you about your current health, any allergies that you have and any medicines that you are taking
- We may undertake some tests and checks in order to understand how well you are before your treatment
- A member of our physiotherapy team might also need to assess you to make sure you receive the appropriate care you need after your operation
Sometimes our pre-assessment team may assess you prior to admission over the telephone and you may be asked to follow the guidance below:
- Continue to take all medication you have been prescribed unless we give you alternative advice
- Your consultant will tell you if it is necessary to stop any hormone medication including the contraceptive pill, HRT or other medication up to six weeks before surgery. You may need to consider alternative contraception if this applies
- If you smoke, we will suggest you to give up before surgery
- You must not drink alcohol for 48 hours before your surgery or treatment
- We recommend you have a bath or shower at home before you come into hospital
- It is necessary for all make up, false eyelashes and nail varnish to be removed. Your operation may be cancelled if this guidance is not followed.
How can we help you?
Interested in finding out more?
Speak to a member of our team
01424 757400 
info@sussexpremierhealth.com