Keep healthy this winter

Patients and visitors

More in this section

• Patients and visitors
• Your feedback
  • Your feedback
  • Speak to a member of staff
  • Complete a survey online
  • Talk to our PALS team
  • Making a complaint
  • Questions, comments and compliments
  • Listening to you
  • Nominate staff for a CARE award
• At the hospitals
  • Finding your way around
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  • Useful facilities at St Thomas'
  • MediCinema
• Getting here
  • Overview
  • Getting to St Thomas'
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  • Cancer Centre at Guy's
  • Travel between the hospitals
  • Help with travel
  • Parking
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  • Getting to the Education Centre
• Patients
  • Why choose us?
  • Making a complaint
  • About your care
    • Help and advice
    • Our consent policy
    • Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
    • Nursing and midwifery staff - meet the team
    • Your health records
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    • Language support
      • Overview
      • Need an interpreter?
  • Making, changing or cancelling appointments
  • Outpatient appointments
    • Before your outpatient appointment
    • At your appointment
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  • Eligibility for free NHS treatment
  • Patient leaflets
    • Overview
    • A-Z of patient leaflets by title
    • Patient leaflets listed by department
  • Your inpatient stay
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      • Settling into your ward
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      • Meeting your ward team
      • Your meals
  • Carers
  • No smoking policy
  • Organ donation
  • Keep healthy this winter
• Reducing infections
  • Infection prevention and control
  • Patient leaflets
  • Healthcare associated infections
  • Washing your hands
• Visiting
  • Information for visitors
  • Our wards
  • Hospital accommodation
  • Smoking restrictions at our hospitals
• Easy read

Winter is always a busy time for the NHS, and this year is no different. Accident and Emergency Departments aren’t always the best place to go if you’re unwell, so we’re asking patients to help us by choosing the right service for their needs.

Watch this video to find out what happens if you need to come to A&E.

Not sure where to go with your injury or illness?

If you have a minor injury or illness, you may find it easier to go to the Urgent Care Centre at Guy's Hospital. It is open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Useful websites

For more information about how to keep healthy this winter, please visit the NHS Choices website.

Flu

Find out more what to do if you have flu-like symptoms.

Norovirus

Norovirus sometimes called 'winter vomiting disease' causes diarrhoea and vomiting and is highly contagious. Find out about the symptoms of the virus and how to prevent the infection spreading.

In December 2016, we treated 14,018 patients in the Emergency Department (A&E) at St Thomas’ Hospital, of whom 3,214 were assessed as serious enough to require admission via A&E.