Your Hospital Stay

On arrival

When you arrive, a nurse will orientate you to the ward and facilities available. Your condition will also be assessed by a nurse and doctor.

On the same day, you will receive financial counselling on the estimated bill size for your stay.

Identification wrist band

You will be given an identification wrist band to wear upon admission. It will contain information such as your name, NRIC number, date of birth and address, to enable our staff to identify you. 

For your safety, please wear the wrist band at all times.

​Daily ward routine

During your stay,​ you may expect the following daily activities:

• Ward round in the morning
• Medication rounds in the morning, afternoon and evening
• Serving of meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner)
• Rehabilitative activities​
  

​The ward round will be led by your care team, which usually includes your doctor, nurse and other health professionals. The purpose of the ward round is to check in on how you are doing. It is a good time for you to ask questions about your care.

Meals are served at these times:​​

• ​Breakfast: 7.30am to 8.30am
• Lunch: 11.30am to 1.00pm
• Dinner: 5.30pm to 7.00pm
  

Meals

We offer a selection of Chinese, Indian, Muslim and Western meals, specially planned to ​meet your medical and nutritional needs. You may choose your meals ​from the food menu available on the Patient Bedside Terminal (PBT).

Special diets are also available for patients with certain medical needs.

Please approach your doctor or ward nurse if you need assistance or would like to bring food in from outside the hospital, order meals for your caregiver or visitors, or consult one of our dietitians. ​

Visiting hours

For information about visitor registration and visiting hours, please visit Your Ward Visit​.

Patient handset

A patient handset is located at your bedside. Please press the nurse call button in red if you need assistance. ​

Care team

You will be looked after by our team of health professionals and ancillary staff. Here are some members of a care team and how they might support you.

If you have any questions or concerns during your stay, please speak with your care team.

Your rights and responsibilities​

We are committed to providing you with reliable and best-value care. We respect you as a patient and want you to be engaged and empowered in your care. We also seek for you to understand your rights and responsibilities as a patient so that we can better care for you.

Please visit Your Rights & Responsibilities to learn more.

Medication safety​

Medication safety is an important aspect of patient care. It can help reduce or even prevent the risk of harm to you.

Here are some tips for safe use of medication:

• Tell your doctor or nurse if you are allergic to any medication. You will need to wear a special identification wrist band if you have any known drug allergy.
  


• Do not consume any of your own medication during your stay. Please discuss your existing medications with your care team.


• Check with your nurse if you are unsure of the medication served to you.


• Take your medication on time when served.


• If you are taking a new medication for the first time and experience any of the following symptoms, please tell your nurse immediately.
• Rash or itch on your face or body
• Constipation or diarrhoea
• Dizziness
• Headache​​
  
• Inability to sleep ​​
• ​It is important for you and your caregiver to know your medications well. This includes learning their names, how much to take and how often, why you are taking them, and what possible side effects there may be.

Leaving the ward

Parts of our hospital will not be open to public until May 2024. For your safety, we encourage you to avoid leaving the ward before your discharge.

If you need to leave the ward, such as for medical appointments or personal commitments, please speak with your care team.

​Leaving the hospital premises

Your safety and wellbeing are of utmost concern. Please do not leave the hospital premises until your doctor has informed you that you are ready for discharge.

If you need to leave the hospital, such as for medical appointments or personal commitments, you may request to do so by speaking with your doctor. Please arrange and pay for your own transport, and return to the hospital on time.

If you insist on being discharged from the hospital against your doctor’s advice, your discharge will be documented as ‘Against Medical Advice’.

Respect for our staff and patients​

At Woodlands Health, we care about you and our staff.

Please treat our staff with respect and courtesy at all times. Any threatening behaviour or violence towards our staff will not be tolerated.

Our staff and patients have a right to privacy. Taking photographs and making video or audio recordings are not allowed.

Personal data

We value your privacy rights and strive to keep your personal data safe. We will only share information about your medical records and condition with you and your appointed spokesperson. For more information on our commitment to data protection, please visit ​ Personal Data Protection Notification​.

Discharge​

Your doctor will advise when it is time for you to be discharged. It may take a couple of hours for the discharge process to be completed. For your safety, we encourage you to be accompanied by a family member or friend on your trip home.

Before you leave, you may receive the following:​

• An After Visit Summary and Medical Certificate
  
• Referrals for follow-up care
  
• An appointment at our Specialist Clinic or another healthcare institution
  
• Medication prescribed by your doctor and dispensed by pharmacy staff
  

Discharge time is 11.00am. Additional fee​s will apply in the event of late discharge.

For non-residents, if you and your family or caregiver intend to return to your country after discharge, we seek your understanding to pay the bill before leaving the hospital.

Please approach our Patient Billing Financing Advisers or visit the Patient Services​ Centre at Basement 1.

We wish you good health and a quick, safe recovery.

Request for medical reports

If you need to make a medical claim from your insurance company, you may request a medical report by:

• Visiting the Patient Services Centre located at Basement 1 (visit Getting Around Campus​ for details)
  
• Emailing Health Information Services at his@wh.com.sg.

Caregiver information​

A caregiver is someone responsible for looking after a person who is unable to care for themselves due to a health condition.​

Caregivers provide a range of support. These include:

• helping with day-to-day tasks such as dressing, bathing and supermarket shopping,
  
• providing health and medical support, such as helping with exercise, giving medication and going along to medical appointments,
  
• offering emotional and social support, such as providing a listening ear.
  

To caregivers:

You play an important role in a patient’s recovery.

The support and physical presence of family and friends help greatly when a patient is recovering. We encourage you to participate in care while the person you are caring for is admitted to Woodlands Health. Our nursing team will provide training and support, including post-discharge care, to ensure you are better prepared to provide care when you are back home.

If you have any concerns on how to provide care and support during the hospital stay or after discharge, please ask any ward nurse for advice or caregiver training.

While being a caregiver is an important role, it is equally important that you look after yourself and find time to do things that keep you healthy and happy. By taking care of yourself, you can take care of others.​

Please visit​​ https://www.aic.sg/caregiving for information on caregiver self-care and training.​