Information for outpatients

Before you attend an outpatients clinic, you will receive an appointment letter or a card which will tell you the date and time of your appointment and the name of the consultant or clinic you will be attending. You may also receive a text reminder before your appointment.

If you need to contact the hospital for any reason, please quote your hospital number, which you will find on your appointment card and letter. If you wish to change or are unable to keep an appointment for any reason, please phone appointments on 0151 702 4352 or 0151 702 4328 as soon as possible so that your appointment can be offered to another patient. If you fail to attend without letting us know, you may not receive a further appointment.

Last year almost one in five of our patients failed to attend their appointment. This means that other patients, who could keep an appointment, are waiting longer. If for any reason you cannot keep your appointment, please contact us between 8.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. An answer machine is available out of hours. If you require any clinical information about your outpatients appointment please contact us.

We have a Disability Advisor providing support for women with any disability who need to attend a clinic or who require admission to the hospital. Along with your appointment card, you will receive a questionnaire asking if you have a disability or long-term illness and whether you require support and advice from our advisor.

If you are not able to travel to the hospital by car or public transport, your GP will arrange for you to be brought to the clinic by ambulance. However, the ambulance service will not be able to give you an accurate time for collection from home or for your return from the hospital. We usually advise that if you have a morning appointment you should be ready for pick up at 8.30am. If your appointment is for the afternoon you should be ready for pick up at 12.30pm. Your GP will let us know if you need the help of an interpreter and this will be arranged by the hospital.

Please study your appointment letter carefully as there may be specific things you need to do to prepare for your appointment. In general, you should bring with you:

• Your appointment letter or card
• Your GP's address and telephone number
• Details of any medication you are taking
• Special treatment card or record book if appropriate
• A urine specimen (if advised to do so)
• Loose change for refreshments and car park fees

You might find it helpful to write down any questions that you have for the doctor, midwife or nurse. You are welcome to bring along a close relative, partner or friend to accompany you during your consultation.

There is a large car park for use by patients and visitors, within the Crown Street hospital site, charges apply:

• 0 - 30 minutes - FREE
• 30 minutes to 2 hours - £3.60
• 2 - 4 hours - £4.50
• 4 - 6 hours - £7.50
• 6 - 24 hours - £9.80
• Weekly concession - £20.00
• Blue badge holders parked in marked disabled bays - FREE

Parking paystations are located throughout the ground floor of the Hospital

If this car park is full, please follow signs for overflow car park off Mulgrave Street (L8 1YQ).

Security are present 24/7 (0151 702 4026) to deal with any queries.

Outpatients is located on the ground floor of the Crown Street hospital site and can be found by following the acorn sign. You can also get directions from the staff on the reception desk at the main entrance of the hospital. When you arrive at outpatients reception desk, a member of staff will check your personal details, including:

• Your name
• Your address, including postcode
• Your GP
• Contact telephone number

This information is important, as it will allow us to contact you or your GP if necessary. Your medical records will be given a hospital number that is unique to you and you will find this on the appointment letter that has been sent to you. We call patients in order of their appointment time, not in order of arrival. We suggest that you plan your journey so that you arrive 5-10 minutes before your appointment time.

We do our best to ensure that you are seen within thirty minutes of your appointment but sometimes appointments are delayed because a doctor has been called to deal with an urgent case or has had to spend longer than expected with another patient. Please be patient if this happens - you will be seen as soon as possible. The staff will keep you informed of any delay and this information will be placed on the notice boards situated in waiting areas. You should also allocate extra time for the possibility of undergoing tests, before or after your clinic appointment.

Each clinic has its own routine and its own team of medical, midwifery, nursing and clerical staff. All staff wear ID badges which give their name and occupation. All new patients will have a full medical history taken and will be asked if they wish to be examined. You will have a nurse with you whilst you are being examined. Although you will have been allocated to a particular consultant, another member of the medical team may see you. You may be asked if you are willing to be seen by or have a student doctor, midwife or nurse present during your clinic visit. Although attending clinics is part of the training for these students, it is your choice whether you wish to see them or not. Whatever your decision, your treatment and the standard of care you receive will not be affected.

You may need to have some minor tests or treatments whilst you are in clinic. These will be explained to you and will only be carried out with your agreement. You may need to have some blood taken for test purposes and this will be done during your appointment or you may need to return to the department at another time. These samples are usually taken by the nursing staff in the department. If you need to come back on another day you will be given written information about the times that you can attend. You might need to have further investigations in our x-ray/ultrasound department. The doctor will order this investigation using our electronic information system but you will need to go over to the department to make an appointment. If you are given a further outpatient appointment, your x-ray or ultrasound appointment will usually be made for the same day. The x-ray/ultrasound department can be found directly opposite to the entrance to outpatients.

If you need to be admitted for an operation you will be given information on your condition and the treatment it requires before leaving the clinic. Please feel free to ask the doctor, midwife or nurses as many questions as you wish. It may be helpful to come prepared with a written list of your queries so that you do not forget what you want to ask. Once the doctor has explained the proposed operation to you, you will be asked to sign a consent form.

As part of a national programme, Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust has set up a new way of arranging for patients to be admitted for an operation. Most patients needing surgery will be able to arrange the date of admission before they leave clinic. On your way out of the department you will be directed to our admissions office. Arrangements will also be made for you to attend the Preoperative Assessment Clinic at a suitable time. If you are not given a date before you leave, an admission date and information about your attending the Preoperative Assessment Clinic will be sent to you within a few weeks.

If you need a follow-up appointment it will normally be for the same day of the week as your first appointment. The doctor you see in clinic will let you know if a further appointment is needed and will record this on your appointment slip. It is important that you book your appointment at reception before you leave clinic. If you decide that you no longer wish to be seen at the hospital, would you please contact patient services as soon as possible so that your appointment can be offered to another patient.

The doctor may prescribe treatment that you need to start immediately. You will be given an outpatient prescription sheet which you will need to take to the hospital pharmacy, which you will find on the ground floor, near to outpatients. You will usually only receive enough medicine to last for two weeks. After this time you will need to go to your GP for further supplies. If you don't normally pay for your prescriptions, you will be asked to complete an exemption form.

You may be able to reclaim your travel expenses to the hospital if you are on Income Support, Family Credit or hold an AG2 or AG3 certificate. Please bring proof of exemption with you when you attend. You will be only able to claim travelling expenses for public transport and will need to provide evidence of your journey, e.g. bus ticket. To reclaim fares, please ask the clinic staff on the clinic reception desk for an attendance form.

We know that sometimes it is impossible to attend a clinic appointment without bringing your children but it is important to point out that we do not have childcare facilities available. If you are unable to attend without bringing your children with you, please remember that they are your responsibility.

A small play area with a table and chairs is available in the main waiting areas. Baby changing facilities are available in the reception area of outpatients. If you need breastfeeding facilities please let the nursing or midwifery staff know.

There is a tea bar available in the clinic waiting rooms and a sandwich bar is available in the main reception area of the hospital. There is also a shop near the main entrance where you can buy newspapers, magazines etc.

There are public phones available in several areas of the hospital. Mobile phones are allowed in public places but we ask that you do not use your mobile phone in clinical areas.