Hospital stays

Portsmouth and Southampton

If you live in Portsmouth or Southampton, contact your adult social care department.

Portsmouth City Council

Tel: 023 9268 0810

Southampton City Council

Tel: 023 8083 3003

Council Tax exemptions and support to pay your bills

You may be entitled to a Council Tax exemption or support to pay your bill if you have a mental health illness. For more information, contact your local council or visit www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org and search ‘council tax: exemptions and support to pay’.

Advice for older people

Contact your GP if you are concerned about:

• Mood swings.

• Agitation.

• Memory loss or confusion.

• Withdrawal.

You can also contact the NHS 111 service which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can speak to a trained adviser, supported by healthcare professionals. They will ask you questions to assess your symptoms and direct you to the best medical care.

You may find it useful to read about dementia (see page 78) and the signs that could be early symptoms of dementia. Spotting the signs of dementia early means you can get the right treatment and support as soon as possible.

The Message in a Bottle service encourages people living on their own to keep their basic personal and medical details in a small plastic bottle in the fridge. If the emergency services come to your home, they can quickly find vital information about your health. Bottles are funded by local Lions Clubs and are free to users. Ask your local GP surgery or pharmacy for details or visit https://lionsclubs.co (search ‘message in a bottle’).

Mental health issues if you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans

Mental health problems such as depression or selfharm can affect any of us, but they’re more common among people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans (LGBTQ+). The NHS website has advice, including a list of support organisations. Visit www.nhs.uk and search ‘mental health for LGBTQ+’.

Men’s health

The Men’s Health Forum is a charity supporting men’s health in England, Wales and Scotland. You can find fast, free independent advice online as well as manuals and free downloads. Visit www. menshealthforum.org.uk or call 0330 097 0654.

The Men’s Activity Network in Hampshire has been designed to help break down barriers for men and make a positive difference to their physical and mental wellbeing. For more information, visit www. mensactivitynetwork.org.uk or call 01329 239011.

Whether you are admitted to hospital by appointment or following an accident or emergency, the clinical staff are there to make sure that you are well looked after and that you get the treatment you need.

There are some standards which NHS hospitals must meet. The hospital staff must:

• Show respect for your privacy, dignity and religious and cultural beliefs. • Handle your treatment with complete confidentiality.

• Look after you in a clean and safe environment.

• Provide a named nurse in charge of your care.

Patient advice services

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) offers confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters.

Say It Once

Different health and social care professionals often ask you for the same information repeatedly. This wastes your time and theirs. Say It Once is run by a group of voluntary organisations in Hampshire who have developed easy-touse forms for you to record and share your information. It may be a good idea to complete a personal profile before you go into hospital. Visit www.sayitonce.info/about.html

Help with transport to and from hospital

If you cannot use public transport, try contacting a wheelchair accessible taxi firm or one of the voluntary organisations who can provide transport for hospital appointments. Your GP surgery may have a list of local hospital transport schemes.

You can also use Hampshire County Council’s community transport search and select the type of transport and area required.

Furthermore, the Good Neighbours Support Service (Hampshire, including Portsmouth) and Communicare in Southampton have volunteers who may help with transport to and from hospital.

If you receive certain benefits or are on low income, you may be able to get a refund of your transport costs under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme. This is not available for visitors.

Useful local contacts

Communicare

Tel: 023 8250 0050 Web: www.communicareinsouthampton.org.uk

Community Transport Team – Hampshire County Council

Tel: 01962 846785 Email: community.transport@hants.gov.uk

Good Neighbours Network

Tel: 023 9289 9671 Web: www.goodneighbours.org.uk/groups-map

Your pension and benefits during hospital stays

Your State Pension stays the same no matter how long you are in hospital, but a prolonged stay may affect some benefits you are entitled to:

• If you receive an Attendance Allowance and you go into hospital, call the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122.

• If you receive the Personal Independence

Payment (PIP), you should contact the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433.

You should also contact the borough or district council that deals with your claims for Housing and Council Tax benefit. In most cases, your benefit entitlement will be reassessed to take account of your new circumstances.

To find out if any other benefit you are claiming (e.g. Jobseeker’s Allowance) is affected by a stay in hospital or if there are any benefits that you may now be entitled to, contact your local Jobcentre Plus.

Carers going into hospital

Carers often worry about what will happen if, at short notice, they are unable to care.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers in Hampshire will help you to discuss, develop and implement your own emergency plan so that you can arrange care at short notice. See page 70 for contact details.

Carers in Southampton (call 023 8058 2387) and the Portsmouth Carers Centre (call 023 9285 1864) can also offer information and support. For more information, visit www.carersinsouthampton.co.uk and www.portsmouth.gov.uk (search ‘Portsmouth carers centre’) respectively.

Care of pets during hospital stays

If you have a pet and go into hospital, you will need someone to look after it while you are there. You can ask a family member, neighbour or friend to help to look after your pet in the short term, but you may need to contact a local cattery or kennel. You should find details of these in the telephone directory.

• Your vet may know of voluntary groups or sitters who can help.

• Your local Good Neighbour support group. See page 70 for contact details.

• The National Association of Registered Pet Sitters (NARPS) has details of registered sitters in your area. (These services are not free, and rates will vary). Call 0203 002 0065 or visit

www.narpsuk.co.uk

• The Cinnamon Trust may have a volunteer who can foster your pet for a short while. Call 01736 757900.

• The Light of the World Trust will provide a free dog walking and pet feeding/grooming service to those in receipt of state pension and physically disabled adults in receipt of Disability Living

Allowance. Call 01895 271659.

If you go into hospital in an emergency, you may not have time to make arrangements for your pet. Your local adult social care department may be able to help.

The local authority has a responsibility to see that your pet is looked after until you return home or can make other arrangements. You may be asked to make a reasonable contribution towards the cost of any temporary accommodation.

If you are unable to return home, someone from the local authority will talk to you, or to someone you have authorised to act on your behalf. It will then be agreed what is the best option for your pet. A decision to rehome your pet will not be made without consent from you or your authorised representative.

Leaving hospital and returning home

You may know you are going into hospital or you may be admitted as an emergency. In either case, you should start thinking about what will happen when you leave.

If you do not yet know your discharge date, ask the health staff if they can tell you an estimated discharge date. • Will you have a key or will there be someone at home to let you in?

• Will you have clothes to go home in – shoes and a coat?

• Will there be food in the house?

• Will the house be warm enough?

• Who will be taking you home?

• Have you any close friends, relatives or neighbours who can help you if needed?

You may be medically fit to be discharged from hospital but need some extra support for a short while. If the hospital discharge team feel this is the case, they may ask the hospital social work team to speak with you to assess your needs, with your consent.

You may be offered a short-term service to support you. (Portsmouth and Southampton residents may be offered different services). For more information, refer to the contact details at the end of this section.

If you have someone who helps to look after you, their views, with your permission, will also be considered. They can have their own needs assessed through a carers’ assessment. See page 71 for more information.

Before you leave hospital, make sure that you:

• Collect your discharge letter for your GP.

• Arrange your follow-up appointment, if you need one.

• Know how to use any equipment which you are sent home with.

• Ensure you have your medication.

• Get a copy of your care plan (if applicable).

• Ask for any medical certificates you may need.

You may feel that you are fine to return home but if you get home and find that you are having difficulty coping with tasks around the house or with getting