The team looking after you

While you are with us you will meet several members of the team, who will introduce themselves. All our staff wear yellow name badges.

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.

It is very important to us that your personal 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.

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

Please talk to the ward sister or the matron if you've any concerns about your care. If they're not available or you want to talk to somebody from outside the ward, please call a senior nurse on 020 7188 7955. This phone number is answered 24 hours a day.

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

Your ward team

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.

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.

You might meet different doctors who carry out a range of duties and procedures to support the medical team.

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.

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.

Daily care plan

You will be seen each day by your medical team to make a daily plan for your care. We want you to feel involved in decisions about your care. Please ask at any time if you've any questions or concerns about your care.

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.

A matron will support your ward team and is responsible for the overall quality of nursing care. If you have a concern that isn't being addressed by the ward team, you can ask to speak to the matron.

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

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

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

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.

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.