The team looking after you

During your stay, you will meet several members of the ward team who will introduce themselves. All our staff wear yellow name badges, and are happy to explain their role to you if you ask.

Every day you will have a named nurse caring for you. They'll write their name on the 'named nurse board'. We also encourage you to write helpful information on the board.

We always make sure that we have enough staff on duty. We monitor this at all times.

It's important to us that your care and hygiene needs are met. For example, there's no delay if you need help to go to the toilet and we manage any pain you have effectively.

If there is anything else we can do for you and your family while you are with us, please ask.

Please talk to the ward sister or the matron if you have any concerns about your care or condition. 

Your ward team

You'll be cared for by a skilled medical team, led by a consultant (senior doctor) or a member of their team.

• Your consultant has overall responsibility for your medical treatment and will always be involved in your care.
• Other doctors who carry out a range of duties and procedures to support the medical team.
• A matron will support your ward team and is responsible for the overall quality of nursing care.
• Your ward sister, charge nurse, deputy, or nurse in charge is responsible for your safety and wellbeing while you are on the ward.
• Staff nurses assess and plan your nursing care. They carry out and evaluate your nursing care with the help of registered nursing associates.
• Nursing assistants are not registered nurses. They help other health professionals with your day-to-day care.

Depending on your needs, the team caring for you might also include a:

• physiotherapist
• dietitian
• speech and language therapist
• occupational therapist

You can recognise most of our staff by the colour of their uniform. Some healthcare professionals, such as ward pharmacists or dietitians, do not wear uniforms.

Your care on the ward

Your medical team see you each day to make a daily plan for your care. We want you to feel involved in decisions about your care. Please tell us if you:

• need us to explain something more clearly
• need extra help or are in pain
• feel staff could involve you more in discussions about your care
• have any fears or worries about your care or treatment
• want to get a second opinion about your case or treatment
• want to find out about what research studies are currently open to patients, and how you can take part

Look out for the nurse wearing a red armband. This is the nurse in charge for that shift. They're the best person to go to if you have any concerns or are unsure who to ask about something. You can also speak to a ward sister or charge nurse.

If you have a concern that isn't being addressed by the ward team, you can ask to speak to the matron.

Staff shifts

Many of our staff work in shifts. At the end of each shift, staff will hand over information about your progress to the team on the next shift. This is to make sure staff coming on shift have the most up-to-date information about your care and condition.

Student health professionals

As teaching hospitals, we might have student health professionals working on the ward under the close supervision of senior staff. If you do not want to be seen by students, please tell us. It will not affect your care in any way.

Other professionals you might see

Our team of housekeepers make sure our hospitals are kept clean.

At times you might see a member of our security team or a police officer on our wards, supporting our staff. The security team work hard to keep everyone safe. We do not tolerate violence or aggression in our hospitals.

Meet our nursing and midwifery staff

Each grade of nursing staff wears a different coloured uniform. This helps you to recognise them more easily.

All staff also wear an identity badge.