Patients needing additional support and carers
We're committed to ensuring that our patients can access the care they need and that any additional requirements are met, particularly when preparing for a visit to hospital. We are able to assist patients who may have additional needs to better enable access to their healthcare in a safe and supportive environment.
If you need extra support in hospital, or care for someone who does, these pages are for you. Use the links below to find out more about the support we can offer.
Carers Strategy 2021-2023
Carers often face barriers when accessing health and social care services. We recognise that our Trust has an important role in ensuring that carers in our region have these barriers removed and can access and receive care and services in an appropriate, enabling, and supportive way. Our carers strategy, which is below, sets out how we will achieve this:
Accessibility guides to our hospitals
We recognise the importance of ensuring every patient is able to access the world-class healthcare that is delivered here.
We have recently teamed up with AccessAble to produce a series of accessibility guides for each of our hospitals.
These guides allow patients and carers with a disability to plan their visit, identify potential barriers and understand what support is on offer.
To view these guides, visit the AccessAble website.
You can also contact our experience of care team about any accessibility queries via email at accessible@uhs.nhs.uk.
Visual guides
We have created some visual guides for our hospital services. These visual supports help display information through images and symbols and can be used to walk you through a scenario.
Carer involvement in patient discharge
The Carer Experience Team at University Hospital Southampton, backed by funding received from NHS England, conducted a study that focused on how unpaid carers are involved in the discharge of their loved one from acute secondary care settings.
This report, which forms part of a suite of learning spread across more than 40 projects in England, focuses on how NHS Trusts can include unpaid carers as soon as possible in the hospital journey of the patient.
The final report also provides recommendations based on the learning obtained from carer surveys and engagement events, looking to improve the experience of carers in the NHS.
Hidden disabilities sunflower lanyard scheme
We are part of the hidden disabilities sunflower lanyard scheme. If you are a patient or visitor, please contact our patient support hub for further information or to register. Call 0800 484 0135 or email patientsupporthub@uhs.nhs.uk
If you are not a patient of University Hospital Southampton, please visit the national Hidden Disabilities website for further information.