You care, we care

Most adult inpatient wards have visiting hours of 7am to 8pm. Ask ward staff to give your loved one a Your Stay in Hospital booklet, which has information about what it’s like on a ward.

You can also ask for a Carers Passport.

Outpatients and day treatment

Patients have the right under Care Quality Commission Regulation 9A to have a carer or family member with them at hospital appointments and for day treatment. This includes:

• a check up, for example for a long-term health condition

• a new problem

• an appointment to get treatment, for example chemotherapy

• an appointment to diagnose a health issue, for example an X-ray or MRI scan; or

• to have a small procedure that doesn’t need an overnight stay.

In hospital

If your loved one does need to stay in hospital for some time or overnight, it means they are being treated as an inpatient.

Patients have a right for a carer or family member to visit them, and if needed, for them to stay during the day or overnight, for example if you are providing them with the essential support they normally rely on you for, or you are helping with essential personal care.

Ward staff will need your loved one’s permission to share detailed information about their care with you, unless you are the named next of kin or have Lasting Power of Attorney.

We will involve you as much as possible in discussions about your loved one’s care. Sometimes we may not be able to do this if there are concerns about their safety in your care.

Martha’s Rule

If a patient’s condition is getting worse, please raise this with the team who are looking after the patient.

If no action is taken and you are still worried that their condition is getting worse, you can contact our Critical Care Team for a rapid review.

• Critical Care Team, Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury
  Telephone: 07934 603208

• Critical Care Team, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital, Margate
  Telephone: 07934 603207

• Critical Care Team, William Harvey Hospital, Ashford
  Telephone: 07955 320952

You can also complete this online form.

Leaving hospital

Carers have the right to be involved in decisions about their loved one’s discharge plan, in particular when this will directly impact on the care or support they will need after discharge.

Your loved one may need extra support when they leave hospital, and you may not be able to provide all of this. So we need to involve you in deciding how this support will be provided, especially if you live with your loved one.

We will listen to any concerns you have and respect your choice to continue to care or to choose not to.

Who can I speak to?

• East Kent Hospitals Switchboard
  Telephone: 01227 766877

• NHS Carers Direct: for confidential information and advice
  Telephone: 0300 123 1053

Give feedback

• Patient Voice and Involvement Team
  Telephone: 01227 868 605 (office hours or leave a voicemail)
  Email

Name of service or ward: ____________________________

Ward / Clinic contact number: ________________________

Useful contacts for carers / families:

• Kent County Council: Adult social care
  Telephone: 03000 416161 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
  Telephone: 03000 419191 (Emergency or out of hours)

• Local support available

  • Carers’ Support East Kent
    Telephone: 0300 302 0061

  • Crossroads Care Kent
    Telephone: 03450 956 701

  • Kent Young Carers (imago)
    Telephone: 0300 111 111

• National support available

  • Carers UK
    Telephone: 0808 808 7777

  • Carers Trust
    Telephone: 0844 800 4361

There may be other organisations that may be able to give you support as this is not a complete list. If you think we should include any other organisations, please contact us on 01227 868 605 or email, and we will update future lists.